Together Alone (complete)

[Mariana]

Mariana wasn't used to pacing outside a man's room. Especially when his room was actually her room on her ship. A ship he'd given to her. For no other reason than that he had a convenient excuse to do it... Running her hands through her hair in frustration (and it really wasn't because Alistair made her self-conscious) she leaned against the wall of the captain's berth grateful that there was no one to notice her anxiety so late at night. Her bloody private quarters, she had to remember that. She was boss here, and had no reason to be worried. And she was only going to thank him for the ship anyway.

Ugh... What was her problem, anyway? She just wanted to thank him for the ship. That was all. He wasn't about to reject her gratitude, and it wasn't about to ruin his reputation. Nothing to be anxious about. Taking a deep breath, Mariana opened the door and walked in, completely uninvited. Confident. Calm. Not in the slightest bit flustered by his presence or the intimacy of the small room.

Sitting on the edge of the map-desk, she folded her arms across her chest and glanced around the room, scrupulously avoiding Alistair as she forced her breathing into a normal rhythm. "She's a beautiful ship. Exactly what I asked for - not many folks even know the difference between a galley and a nau. I assume you had help?"

Perhaps not the most flattering thanks he'd ever receive, but she didn't usually thank people at all. In all honesty, Mariana wasn't entirely sure why she was doing it now except that... well... she thought she should. Which wasn't something she was used to either, and it was putting her on edge.

Eventually her gaze settled on Alistair's face. The lamplight was really very flattering, the way it's ruddy light flickered and cast his face into sharp relief. She couldn't help it - she reached a hand across the small space and brushed her fingertips against his stubbled cheek. He was so... So Alistair and she leaned forward a bit, cupping his face in her hand. Her heart was beating faster in her chest and she had to remind herself to breathe.

"I just... wanted to thank you..." She ran a thumb across his cheekbone, soaking in every detail of him, and for a moment her breath hitched. "Alistair..." ...Stop me before I do something you regret...

[Alistair Theirin]

It was night and the ship Alistair had given Mariana was now finally heading north on the open seas, the waves made the ship rock back and forth and most of the crew was now asleep. It was a silent night on the ship, but outside one could hear the wind blowing and its breeze could be felt through the cracks of the windows. Alistair was just about to head to bed him-self knowing that most of the crew had done the same, but as he began to undress, to change clothes for the night, Alistair noticed a kerchief falling on the floor. Leaning down to pick it up, Alistair remembered, it was the kerchief which he had been given by Empress Celene as a gift for him to remember her by. It was a beautiful green kerchief with broadened flowers on it and with the initials C. As he held it in his hands, Alistair could smell her perfume still and it made him both sad and thoughtful, wondering how she was doing back home. With his back turned against the door, looking down at the kerchief, Alistair was in a total different world as he was in deep thoughts. Suddenly he was startled, a female voice was instantly heard behind him and it made him jump, unprepared he was taken by surprise, but as he turned to see who it was he was glad it was no assassin who had come to kill him. "Mariana.." Alistair spoke in suprise to see her.

After having turned to face the presence that had stepped into his room without permission, he could see it was Captain Mariana, the very woman whom he had met in the streets of Denerim nearly two weeks ago, whom he had given a ship to carry him and the Gray Wardens north to Anderfels. Seeing as she sat upon the edge of the table, almost upon the map of the oceans, he could see that she was delighted to see him. Alistair who had been taken by surprise was still standing there half naked, but he cared not, instead he quickly hid the kerchief behind his back as he listened to the words she spoke. Having her in the room was shocking and unexpected, but still he grew curious as of what she said and how she behaved. It seemed she had come to thank him for the ship, though he felt she did not need to do that, it had been an honor to give such a ship to such a great woman as her, one whom knew very well how to handle a caravel. Once she had spoken while sitting upon the table teasingly, Alistair smiled and was just about to reply, when he noticed she came over to where he stood.

Growing nervously, Alistair watched Mariana with a smile as she slowly approached him, and once she took his head in a cup of her hands, he began to feel a tension rise up his spine and he grew speechless and unwary of what to do, feeling her thumb trailing down his cheek. Mariana was indeed a very beautiful woman, one who sure knew how to please a man, but Alistair was not like most men. He was an honorable and a loyal man, and even he had lately begun to grow feelings for this very young woman, he felt hesitant in being so close to her. The closer she leaned, the more he drew away, stepping back until he almost hit the wall, clenching his grip around the kerchief he held behind him in his hand. “Oh…eh, no need to thank me Mariana…I`m glad I could help…” Alistair replied with a nervous and vibrating voice, looking into her eyes as she stood close to him. “You needed a ship…and I needed a ship to bring me north…it was the least I could do…” He continued and grew slightly worried, not wanting to stop her, but at the same time he needed to…

[Mariana]

Mariana took a deep, shuddering breath and dropped her hand to rest on Alistair's shoulder. He was married, and he'd hate himself if he cheated... Wait - he was hiding something behind his back. Reaching around him with a frown, Mariana deftly plucked a scrap of fabric from his hand.

A kerchief. His wife's? She didn't seem like the frilly green kerchief type. sighing, she was about to hand it back to Alistair when she saw the initial embroidered in the corner. Anora didn't have a C anywhere in it... but Celene did. Mariana straightened her back, giving Alistair the kerchief with a tight mouth. It wasn't that he was trying to be faithful after all. He just had his sights set elsewhere.

"Thanks again for the ship. I'll be on my way."

She left the room as fast as dignity would allow and hopped onto the railing around the foredeck. Damn she was stupid. And she was usually so good at reading people... Damn! She should've seen it. All bloody Ferelden knew it but she just wouldn't believe the rumours. Not of him. But why?

Holding tight to the rigging, she stood there on the railing for a long time, her eyes closed tight. She listened to the wind, the ocean, the creaks and groans of the ship... They all spoke to her, as clearly as another person. Comforting and familiar, she breathed in the briny air, let the salt spray soothe the humiliation from her burning cheeks.

It wouldn't happen again. She'd never thrown herself at a man and she could certainly control herself around him. The king was the king and well above her station. The Empress was one thing, but to have him mingling with a commoner? And even worse - a criminal... No. He didn't need that, and he was right not to want her.

She could leave the king alone. Theirs was a business arrangement, and one that worked to her benefit. But damn the spray felt good on her face. Still holding tight to the rigging, she leaned forward a bit to catch it, secure in the knowledge that she wouldn't fall. And even if she did, the sea was there to catch her.

[Alistair Theirin]

Trying to hide the kerchief from Mariana as he pulled back from her, it became impossible to hide it any longer as more she leaned in on him. Without wanting it, Alistair slightly loosened the grip and the kerchief fell down from his hand, but held it still. Then as Mariana noticed what he kept behind him, he became even more nervous and his mouth was lost of words, he did not know how to explain it. It was true, he was cheating on his wife Anora, but not in the way everyone thought, oh how would he explain this to Mariana, she whom like so many others had thought of him differently. As quickly she took the kerchief away from him, he could see her expression change and he could see she was upset, but he did not know why seemed to react so strongly, as if she was angry at him. Her aggressive look stared right into his soul, and Alistair felt bad, feeling uncomfortable and afraid of what she thought of him.

As she handed him the kerchief back while speaking in a serious voice, thanking him for the ship but leaving all of sudden made Alistair shocked. Seeing her leave the room in haste made him feel lonely in the dark room, even with the light flickering upon him as the waves rocked the ship. He kept the kerchief in his hands and he looked down upon it, thinking of Celene before thinking how wrong it was of him to be unfaithful to Anora, he had not wanted to feel that way, but such had his life become when he had been chosen king and when he had to marry against his will. And now he felt bad, not only for Anora, but also for Mariana whom he had grown strong feelings for, ever since they had met. He needed to explain his actions and he felt bad, wanting to apologize and talk to the captain, before the entire ship would know the truth.

Quickly Alistair laid down the kerchief on his bed and took on his white shirt and brown boots, before he headed out of the room after Mariana, wanting to see if she was alright and if he had made her upset. Once he came out upon the deck, he could see she stood in front of the ship upon the railing, holding tight onto the rigging while leaning forward. As Alistair approached it seemed strange to him why she did such a thing, and he looked upon her in confusion as he stepped closer behind her. Though as he came closer, he noticed she was just feeling the spray of the sea against her skin, but then all of sudden as she leaned herself further out, he grew anxious and quickly he went to grab her, pulling her back from the railing and onto the deck, thinking he had saved her. “You should be more careful Mariana….are you alright?” Alistair spoke and asked ignorant, holding her close as they both now were facing each other again. “I….I did not mean to make you upset...the crew need you as Captain and I need you…I`m sorry if I did something wrong…” He continued in a sad and worried voice, believing Mariana was about to kill herself because of him, believing he had made her upset somehow…in one way or another. He knew that people often would take suicide because of broken hearts, but never had he imagined Mariana to be such a woman, she who was playful and seducing toward all, both men and women.

[Mariana]

It felt far too good to have the king holding her. Carefully extracting herself from the protective circle of his arms, she took a step back crossed her arms indignantly. "I wasn't going to fall, Your Majesty. If you hadn't noticed, I stand there a lot."

He was really much, much too close. And he wouldn't be getting any farther away for the entire length of the trip... She'd suggest he find someone else to take him back, but she wouldn't just dump them all at the next port. Like he said - he needed her. They wouldn't find anyone else going to the Anderfels on such short notice.

Taking a seat on the rail, Mariana swung her legs around so they hung out over the ocean, her back turned to the king. "Try not to flatter yourself over much Your Majesty. I don't really care who you're fucking so long as I get payed. I'm just a bloody pirate, what's it matter to me?"

That sounded a bit more bitter than she'd intended, but she managed to look merely bored. She fell silent, hoping that the king would take the hint and leave. The deck wasn't exactly a private place to talk, anyway, with crew sleeping there. With any luck, he'd be deterred by the potential audience.

[Alistair Theirin]

Being close to Mariana as they faced each other, Alistair felt no longer uncomfortable while being around her, only worried as he hoped she had not intended to kill herself. Although once he heard what she had been doing, he understood she had not thought of jumping overboard. It made Alistair feel dumb and idiotic to have thought that, but at least he had done the right thing, even having believed otherwise. After her first sentence, Alistair was again a little lost of words, but tried to speak as he looked troubled into her eyes, seeing that she was both happy to be near him, but also angered for some reason he did not quite understand. "Oh...ah, I see..." Alistair said and then turned his gaze to look down, kind of disappointed of himself as he had rescued her for no reason.

What Alistair felt for Mariana was good and strange, not long ago had they met and already he was falling in love with her; even he already was in love with someone else. It was not the way a King should behave, although he could not resist his lusts like so many other men could not. He was weak, and especially to beautiful women such as Mariana, who long had been around men at sea and who probably have had her way with so many of them. The very thought of her being with someone else made Alistair thoughtful and it troubled him a little, however he could not decide over her, she was a free soul and her own master, she was the Captain of the ship and she could do whatever she like, even cast him at sea if she wanted it. Perhaps Alistair would die just like his father King Maric, who also drowned at sea. The thought of it made Alistair even more worried, but he decided to stay focused on the matter at hand and as he looked at Mariana, watching her as she went to sit on the railing with her back turned against him, telling him through her expression that the best for him to do now was to leave her alone.

Still Alistair could not, he felt guilty and he wanted to be reassured that Mariana was alright, as she seemed more aggressive than she normally was. Looking around nervously at the deck, Alistair could see the crew was asleep and he hoped none of them had heard what Mariana had said as she had spoken; "Try not to flatter yourself over much Your Majesty. I don't really care who you're fucking so long as I get payed. I'm just a bloody pirate, what's it matter to me?" If somebody of the crew heard that, then his reputation would be for sure ruined forever, looking around he could see there was none awake, but then again he could be wrong. Turning back to look at Mariana who still was faced toward the ocean, he could see she was troubled and he took the opportunity to approach her as he whispered, wondering what she thought about life and love. “Do you not care about love?...there must be something more in your life than just this being a pirate and getting paid…” He asked ignorant, curious to know if she desired something more.

[Mariana]

[Alistair's actions approved by his player]

Mariana's anger was completely irrational and she knew it, but that only made her angrier. The gooseflesh the king's breath raised on her skin as he whispered into her ear drove her into a frenzy, and the fact that it was out of character for her only made it worse.

"What you bloody whispering for?" she shouted, hopping off the rail onto the deck. "All bloody Ferelden knows you've got the empress spreading her legs, I was just bloody fool enough to think I knew better! And to answer your question, love ain't worth a ship rat's piss if it only goes one way your majesty. Even I'm not delusional enough to think I got anything like that coming my way - I'm just a bloody pirate. I'm good for fucking, sailing, and running away and that's it. People like me get what we're payed and give what we're payed for, that's how life works."

The crew were mostly awake at this point, but Mariana didn't really care. She was just so bloody angry with him... She wanted his pretty self stuffed in the bilge hold. And she just couldn't seem to stop herself from yelling at him. That alone was unnerving - she usually got quiet when she was angry.

"You know what's really pathetic? For a while there I thought it might actually happen. I managed to convince myself I meant something to you, but you wanted to be the good sort of bloke and stay faithful to your wife even if you hate each other. I thought maybe that's why you gave me the ship instead of just hiring me on as captain, why you let me pick my crew. But that's just a load of piss, ain't it? I don't mean shit to you, you've already got yourself an empress to fuck and you just wanted to keep your pet pirate! Tell me I'm wrong! I bloody dare you!"

All the time she was shouting she advanced on him, growing angrier and angrier, until she slapped him - hard. Their closeness to the rail didn't even occur to her, sure-footed as she was on the rolling deck of a ship, but Alistair was less stable. When she slapped him, he stumbled backwards and went over.

Mariana's anger was doused by a cold wash of panic. He couldn't die. Not like this, not now. Not when the last things she said to him would be so horrible. Her heart hammering against her ribs, her breath barred from her lungs, she grabbed a rope and dove into the icy water after him.

Where was he... Shivering uncontrollably, she looked frantically for a glimpse of skin that wasn't her own. Where was he? She had to find him fast. Now! Even if he was an amazing swimmer, the cold would kill him as sure as drowning...

She dove under the water, the salt water burning her eyes, and searched for him there. He might not be that good a swimmer, or a current might have pulled him under... There - she could see a pale shape against the blackness of the water and she swam toward it. Her lungs were burning, and the rope pulled taught, but she let it go and kept swimming. She had to reach him, she had to.

After what felt like days, like months, she reached him. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode, but as she wrapped her arms around him she didn't care. He was unconscious, and needed help now. Kicking furiously toward the surface, she dragged him along, cursing his dead weight and blessing the faint but steady beat of his heart. And then, they broke the surface.

She could have cried when she saw that her men had the foresight to bring the ship around, and she grabbed hold of the rope she'd dropped to reach Alistair. "Hoist," she choked, coughing up some water, but it seemed she didn't need to give the order. Already she could hear a short-haul shanty coming down from the deck, and as she held tight to Alistair's limp form the rope pulled taught and lifted them slowly up.

At last, with Mariana's shoulders aching and her whole body shaking from cold, panic, and exertion, Alistair unconscious in her arms, several sets of strong arms hauled them on deck. She immediately waved the men off and rolled Alistair onto his back. She pounded on his chest, tears streaming from her eyes as she cursed him for a fool.

"Just bloody breathe blast you!" She pressed her lips to his, breathing air into his lungs as her hot tears fell unheeded on his face. "I'll take it all back if you just bloody breathe!"

[Alistair Theirin]

As Alistair leaned forward and whispered to Mariana about love and life, he was taken by surprise as she in great frustration turned her attention toward him, jumping down from the railing to face him in a rage of anger. Then all of sudden she started to yell at him and the crew onboard woke up by the loud noise, Alistair was in shock and in awe, he did not know what to say or how to react. Mariana was really angry at him and it was clearly that she was overreacting, and it seemed she was sick of his attitude and his relationship to Anora and Celene; it really seemed to bother her, as if she had feelings for him, as if she loved him. Perhaps Mariana did, but did not wish to tell? Alistair was unsure, but he was really scared and worried as she came at him, angrier by each outburst, pushing him closer and closer toward the railing. Then suddenly after she had spoken finished, she slapped Alistair hard on the cheek before he could respond and as Alistair was unsteady on his footing upon deck, he could no longer hold the balance as the ship rocked back and forth upon the sea. Most likely without Mairana meaning to, she knocked Alistair of his foothold and in an instant he fell overboard.

Screaming for help as he fell, he hit the cold water with a loud splash and quickly the sea surrounded him, drawing him down as he could not swim. Alistair tried to hold his head up as he became hysterical and afraid, afraid to die on the sea just like his father King Maric, but the more he struggled the faster his head came below the ocean surface. He tried to hold his breath as he could see the ship fainting away from him, seeing Mariana and the crew looking down at him from the ship`s railing. Below water he reached out his hand toward the surface, hoping that someone would come and save him though felt his life draining away from him as the cold and the dark water pulled him further and further down. The sea was relentless and the waves became worse by the minute, Alistair grew weaker until he could no longer withstand the powers of nature, slowly being drawn further into the depths of the abyss that seemed never ending below him. Alistair could see his life pass away before his eyes, as if it was his last moment and he could see images of all those he cared about and what he had done in his life, seeing Eamon, Isolde, Teagan, Duncan, Morianna, Aedan Cousland, Morrigan and the friends that had assisted during the Blight, Anora, Celene and then in the end Mariana…it became dark and Alistair was gone…

Then suddenly life returned! Alistair`s eyes opened and he gasped for air as he awoke, coughing water out of his lungs as he was held up in comforting arms. As his sight returned, Alistair could feel the deck of the ship below him and as looked up, he could see Mariana leaning over him, crying as if she had feared the worst. Alistair was shivering because of the cold water, but smiled faintly back in return at Mariana as he was happy to be alive and close to her. Seeing her expression showed him that she clearly cared for him and slowly he moved his hand to touch her cheek in gratitude for saving his life. She was beautiful he thought, even when she was crying tears for him and as Alistair came to think of what had passed his mind just before it had gone dark, he was drawn in the moment to kiss her. Wanting to feel Mariana`s lips against his as he had feared he would never see her again. The moment was perfect and romantic, the wind was silent and as Alistair kissed Mariana long and passionately it was as if the surroundings around them did not exist.

After a long and passionately kiss, Alistair`s gaze remained on Mariana as he looked into her eyes, touching her cheek while smiled at her, feeling loved and lucky as they remained close. Then as the silence became awkward, Alistair could hear some noises in the background and just as he turned his focus to look around, he was shocked to see the entire crew standing around them.

[Mariana]

Mariana wrapped her arms around Alistair as he started coughing, hauling him into a sitting position so the water would come up easier. She held him close, rubbing his back as he coughed, so overjoyed to see him breathing properly she was giddy. He was alright. The crew had seen their fight, heard every horrible thing she`d said, but she didn't care. Alistair was alive and breathing... And looking at her.

The way he was looking at her sent chills down her back that had nothing to do with her overlong swim in the ocean. Then he reached out a hand to touch her cheek, and she almost forgot to breathe. He was there, and perfect, and alive... And suddenly he was kissing her and for a moment she forgot about the crew entirely, only really aware of him, of his lips against hers and his hand on her cheek, and it was so completely perfect that her breath caught in her throat.

But with her relief came anger, and she pulled away and slapped him again harder than before, still holding him to keep him steady. "Don't you ever bloody scare me like that again, you hear me?" Mariana was shouting again, angrier than she`d ever been and nearly hysterical with relief. Tears were welling in her eyes again and she wasn't even sure whether they were for joy or anger, and she slapped him again for good measure. "What would I have done if you died? I thought I didn't make it in time! And what then? Hmm? I thought..."

Her voice cracked and she took his face in her hands, gently brushing sodden hair out of his eyes. She thought she'd killed him. For several long, agonizing minutes she thought she was too late and he'd die right there on the ship, with nothing she could do to save him. Resting her forehead against his she closed her eyes, willing her tears not to fall. She didn't cry. Never. And certainly not twice in a night - with an audience no less!

"Let's get you warmed up and clean, yeah? The cold'll kill you as sure as the water. You're shivering though, that's a good sign." Alistair seemed disturbed by the people watching, and was probably glad of the excuse to get back to his private quarters as she turned to address the crew. "Nothing to see here mates, so those of you off duty get sleeping and those of you on duty get working or get flogged!

Mariana was fully aware that if she was ever intimidating, she wasn't then. Soaked to the bone and shaking, her tears mixing with seawater on her face as he held Alistair in her arms, she was probably as far away from intimidating as anyone could possibly get. That said, the crew was well aware that Cinza was looming close by and they didn't dare argue. As they turned away, she called to her men again, her voice little more than a hoarse croak. "One more thing - you lads did good tonight. There's an extra ration of grog for everyone who helped until further notice."

The men all seemed satisfied with the reward, inadequate though it seemed to Mariana for saving their lives. Pulling Alistair to his feet, she helped him back to the cabin, catching Lorenso's eye along the way. "Get one of the cabin boys and have him bring up some hot tea and bricks from the galley. And blankets, if he can find any."

With a nod and a showy bow he was off, and Mariana quickly got Alistair back in his private room. It was small, but it was out of the wind and warmer than it was outside. For a moment she wished they could have a fire, but quickly pushed the thought from her mind. Wishing was pointless - instead she set to work getting Alistair out of his wet clothes. They were damned heavy and clung to him, but after a few moments of struggling she had him stripped to his skin and sat him on the bed.

Wrapping him in a blanket to help keep him warm, she stripped down too so she wouldn't soak the blanket and sat down beside him. Poor bastard probably thought she was getting forward, but if they didn't get warm they could easily die in their sleep - she'd seen it happen often when men went overboard.

"You stay awake now, or you might not wake up, alright? Just stay with me." Frowning, she climbed under the blanket with him and started rubbing his chest, trying to warm his heart and lungs. "You rub, too. You want to warm up your blood before it gets back to your heart." She chuckled. "Can't believe I've got us both naked and alone and I'm not bloody stealing a grab..."

[Iggy]

Iggy had taken to sleeping in the ship's rigging, meshed so thoroughly within the mass of woven ropes that it was hard to tell where netting ended and boy began. It was cold, yes, but Iggy didn't mind cold, Iggy minded wet, and the open deck where the rest of the crew bunked, was prone to a great deal of wet. Cold and wet was unacceptable, and oddly enough, the presence of ropes wrapped around flesh wasn't nearly as terrifying as it usually was when Iggy knew he could free himself with a good, hard twist at just the right angle. Besides, from such a high vantage point, Iggy could both continue his nautical education and avoid unpleasant tasks.

Iggy dreamed of slaying men who looked like dragons, and woke to a scene that didn't make sense.

Captain Mariana was yelling at the King of Dogs and Puppies. But why? They'd gotten along well enough before, spent lots of time together, though Iggy supposed that's what kings and queens were supposed to do. Besides, Iggy liked Alistar, he was funny in a stupid sort of way, and answered all of Iggy's questions about Ferelden with lies so awesome Iggy quite frankly preferred them to the truth. In fact, Iggy's only problem with the Ferelden king thus far, was his alarming lack of dogs in his entourage (the word 'dog' and 'Ferelden' were always appeared in the same sentence whenever Iggy asked around on his journey south.)

Mariana, apparently, had other reasons to be upset. Most upset. Furious. Iggy had seen his captain yell, seen her chew out a crewman for some inexcusable bit of stupidity, but he'd never seen this. Sound and fury and most worrying of all... pain. Pain in her voice and scrawled across her features. The king must have done something really bad this time, and so, Iggy decided it was time to cut of the king's head. Mari was still captain, and Iggy was pretty sure you weren't supposed to make the captain upset.

The berserker turned cabin boy had already twisted himself free, dropped to the deck, and half removed his blade from it's temporary home tied to the railing, when his captain proved herself more than capable of handling her own issues, whacking Alistair right off the ship. Iggy gave a little cheer, noticed no one else was cheering, and stopped. Mari looked worse, worse than when she was angry. Iggy was confused, and only grew more confused as Mari dove in after her victim. This was not how fights worked, Iggy was almost sure of this, after all, he'd been in lots of them.

The next few moments passed in a flurry of frantic activity as the crew surged into action, fishing their wayward mistress and her employer out of the ocean and hauling them aboard. Iggy saw tears on Mari's cheeks and panicked a little, saw Alistair sputter up seawater and come back to life and thus panicked a little more. He saw king and queen touch each other tenderly, their eyes locked in a gaze thick with emotion and unspoken words, and Iggy panicked a little. The boy saw Mari and Alistair clutch eachother desperately, and join lips, loosing themselves in a kiss that wound on and on and on, and Iggy... Iggy... ... ... thought that maybe Alistair should go back overboard.

Odd, Iggy couldn't quite fathom jealousy, he'd had not truck with envy or covetousness before, the emotion quite frankly foreign to him. Something about the sight of his captain, his captain... with the dog king like that, seemed horribly, horribly wrong. It sent a pang twisting into his gut, and left him sort of dizzy. He grappled with the strange new concept for a long while, oblivious to the threats and promises of grog. Oblivious to absolutely everything until someone cuffed the back of his head and dumped a load of random, generally warm things into his arms and told him to beat feet to the captain's quarters.

Iggy scurried along, still in a sort of daze, but at least preoccupied a bit with the task of balancing a stack of rather precariously placed, and rather scalding hot items in his grasp while trotting into the bowels of the ship. Hot tea, hot bricks from the galley, warm blankets, these were good things, right? I mean, just warm stuff, you didn't get up to hanky panky with warm stuff, right? Iggy certainly couldn't fathom how hot tea was involved. Maybe, maybe it was just some sort of brief spat, nipping at heels and such. Iggy saw that back home all the times, brothers who loved each other still beating the snot out of one another from time to time. That was okay, that was good, made things better. Iggy had very nearly convinced himself that what he'd seen as kissing was in fact just a complex way of getting the water out of Alistair's lungs, when he burst through the door to the captain's private quarters... and beheld breasts.

Iggy turned to stone, caught in a frozen gape, eyes wide. Some part of his mind was vaguely aware of the fact that Alistair was naked too and touching far more than he ought to be touching, but having grown up in a clan populated with brothers, fathers, and uncles exclusively, Iggy had seen far more floppy dongus than he'd ever cared to see, and it didn't bother him in the slightest. What Iggy had never seen, was a woman, or quite frankly, a woman sans clothes.... He began to sense that he'd been done a terrible injustice. Ladies without clothes were amazing....

The blush started at the tips of Iggy's ears and slowly proceeded to paint his entire face a lovely shade of scarlet. Reality smacked him in the back of the head, and the boy gave a startled sound somewhere between a yelp and a squeak, stammering apologies and quickly dropping the bundle at the foot of the bed, "Uh sorry! Uh... but I brought stuff and... uh stuff! And what you asked for, and! Uh! Uh! And... and... It's probably breasts- I mean best! Best if I go now! Um... bye!"

With both hands clasped tightly over his eyes, Iggy turned, fell backwards, stumbled to his feat, ran into a wall, tripped again, and by some kind blessing of Fate, managed to find the door and slam it shut behind him. He leaned back against it for a moment, panting, dizzy and bruised, taking stock of the current situation. He wasn't entirely sure what that situation was, but he was quite sure it involved lady bits, amazing, lady bits. Iggy wasn't a fan of grog, it was bitter water that made him silly(ier) and sleepy. But right now... right now that extra ration seemed awfully appetizing.

[Alistair Theirin]

Seeing how Mariana reacted to Alistair falling overboard made it seem as if she had strong feelings for the King after all, even she had told him there was no love in her life as she was just a pirate used to living on the sea. Alistair knew she had lied to him and that there was something more behind the veil she had put up as a protection, deep down she was a kind and a gentle woman, one who cared for others and Alistair knew that as he could see it in her expression. Again Alistair was slapped for being so foolish to have fallen overboard, when in fact it was she who had caused him to, but to him the slap did no longer matter as the kiss they had shared made up for it. Every second they had used to make out, had made him feel lucky to have come upon a woman such as Mariana, one who he gladly had chosen to travel with. She was the perfect Captain to take him and the Gray Wardens north to Anderfels and Alistair forgave her rudeness and her sudden outburst, believing that she had not meant too be.

Alistair understood, the kerchief which he had held in his hands and which she had seen on his room had made her angry and he understood why, especially after the days they had spent with each other as close friends on the journey so far. Then as he listened on to what she said, Alistair continued to smile in return and as she cupped his head and rested her forehead against his, so did he, and it felt amazing, as if nothing else existed; only the two of them and it felt as if the world was theirs alone. Although as they both figured that the entire crew had been watching them the entire time, Mariana ordered them all to go back to their business, telling one of them especially to bring something which could warm Alistair and herself up, as they both was freezing and shivering in each other`s arms.

Together the two of them went back to Alistair`s room within the ship, which certainly was warmer than outside. And as they walked in, Alistair could not keep his gaze away from Mariana who guided him carefully forward. She was beautiful and they both were soaked wet by having been in the water, the clothes felt heavy and the water dripped on the floor as they walked, but it did not matter. Alistair was happy to have been saved to live another day, and he was thankful to Mariana, again she had saved his life, for the second time in only just a few days. While his gaze was fixed upon her as they walked in, he came to think of what he had done…they had kissed, and he knew if Celene got the news about it then she would be heart broken. He did not want that to happen, nor did he really know what to feel anymore. Alistair had fallen in love with two completely different women, one whom was a lustful pirate and one was a dissent noble woman. Alistair tried to hide his thoughts away from Mariana, trying to stay focused at the moment he and Mariana shared as they walked on, hiding any sign of regret in his expression.

Once they were inside Alistair was suddenly overwhelmed and turned into shock and awe once again, as Mariana suddenly began to undress him. The wet clothes was so soaked of water and it was difficult to get them off, gladly she helped him and it felt strange, but at the same time Alistair loved it and he understood after a while that she did only to make him feel warmer. Perhaps she was going to give him a new set of clothes? He thought as she continued to undress him and then placed him to sit upon the bed, shivering by the cold that gripped him. Then all of sudden she began to undress herself and it made him wonder, what was she doing, did she want to sleep with him right after having him saved? It made no sense, but then again she was a pirate. Looking upon her made Alistair speechless and he did not know how to react, he just sat there and his gaze was totally fixed upon her as she took off her own wet clothes. Then when she finished, she came over bearing a blanket and with a few careful steps toward him she wrapped the blanket around the both of them and began rubbing Alistair so that he would feel warmer. When she whispered and told Alistair to do the same, to rub her so that she could also be warm and to not fall asleep, he was a bit hesitant at first but did it out of kindness so that she neither would not freeze to death, which was mostly likely to happen as they were both very cold after having been in the water for many minutes.

Alistair`s continued to look upon Mariana and he smiled broadly as he listened to what she said and he thought the moment was nice, even after having argued before he fell of the ship. The bad thoughts were removed from his mind as they continued to rub each other warm, waiting on some refreshment to arrive the room. Then accidently without knowing, Alistair realized that he was rubbing Mariana more than he was supposed to and once the cabin boy entered, he quickly withdrew his hands and it felt awkward, mostly for the young boy. A boy named Iggy whom Alistair had talked to a great deal already with upon the ship, and whom constantly had talked to him about Ferelden and their precious Mabari dogs. Iggy had complained that Alistair should have taken along some dogs on his journey north, but Alistair always answered in return that having a Mabari dog around would only cause trouble for the crew, knowing that the Mabari dogs was often annoying to some foreigners.

Seeing how shocked and nervous Iggy was as he came in and noticed the King and the Captain beneath the blanket, Alistair could not help it but to smile and slightly laugh of his reaction and how he talked as he suddenly dropped the plate at the foot of the bed. Watching the boy run out, Alistair laughed more out load, though leaned down to pick up what had fallen of the plate and then placed it back on the table nearby. “Seems like the young boy is a bit new to this, don`t you think? He reminds me a lot myself in in fact, when I was young, especially when I accidently entered the dormitory to the Chantry priestess in learning when I was about to take my vow as a Templar. That was of course before Duncan found me and made me a Gray Warden…” Alistair said calmly with a whispering voice as he began to get warmer, but still shivered a little and he promised Mariana that he would not fall asleep, he knew how dangerous that was. Looking back at her, he kept his eyes upon hers and he watched her with a bright smile, thinking how funny Iggy was and how cozy it felt within the room. Reaching out to take her hand in his, as he gently rubbed it with his thumb, feeling thankful and happy.

[Mariana]

Mariana arched a brow at Iggy's reaction to seeing them both naked. The boy was really adorable, and for a berserker reaver he was so bloody perky it was almost disturbing. But mostly just cute. Chuckling as Alistair got up to pick everything up off the floor, she leaned back on the bed.

"You know, I don't think the poor lad's ever seen a woman naked before. And his crush probably doesn't help, poor thing." But she lost the thread of what she was saying when Alistair sat back down on the bed and took her hand, and she swallowed. "That so? Don't think I've heard this story. Or about this Duncan bloke, though you mention him often enough. He was your old commander, yeah?"

Moving back on his lap, she wrapped her arms around him to rub his back. Damn it was nice to be so close to him, but being there, together, no clothes... A familiar heat was pooling in her belly and she was aching between her legs, a wetness that has nothing to do with sea water sticky against her thighs. Andraste's perky tits, when did she start having such a hard time around men?

She was shaking again and tried to convince herself that it was because she was cold. Even she wasn't convinced, and she reached up to push Alistair's sodden hair out of his face. "You really do have very pretty eyes..." Did she just say that out loud? Mariana wasn't sure, but they were very, very close, and the next thing she knew she had her fingers wrapped through his hair and she was kissing him again.

"Alistair..." She was burning, white heat radiating out from her core and she whimpered. "Alistair please..." Their bodies were pressed flush, and she didn't even pretend that her shaking was from the cold anymore, but she forced herself to pull away. "Do you want this? Please, you have to be sure, because once it's done there's no going back..." And when did she start caring, anyway? Blast it all...

[Alistair Theirin]

After hearing what Mariana said about the young boy Iggy and the question she asked about Duncan, Alistair wanted to reply when she suddenly interrupted him and moved to sit on his lap. Instantly he became speechless and his body shivered although it was most likely not because of the cold any longer. Looking upon Mariana as she was on top of him, he felt the strong connection between them grow even greater and he could not stop smiling. She was a very beautiful woman with a great personality, one whom he could see himself live with, but then again he had promised to come back to Celene, the Empress of Orlais who recently had come to stay in Denerim under the King`s protection. She had in return promised to wait on him as he traveled north, and in truth he could not wait to see her again, but being onboard a ship, far away from home with another woman in his arms who was just as great, made Alistair unsure about his feelings.

Then as he felt the aching of Mariana`s body and as she leaned in to kiss him, telling him that he had pretty eyes as she also told she wanted him to be sure before they went any further with their relationship, he simply responded by giving in into the kiss and thus he was lost in the moment with her. Together they slowly fell down onto the bed and the kerchief which Alistair had laid upon his pillow earlier that evening, now fell on the floor, as if Alistair`s forgot the relationship he had with Celene, and as if he forgot the commitment he had to Anora who was his wife. Alistair held onto Mariana and the kiss they shared was both passionate and long, and as the kiss and touch continued, so was their plans for the night decided….(Fades to Black)

(I believe we end the thread here.)