The castle library became filled with the laughter of the only two denizens within it, rivaling that of the chamber they had both been apart of previously as they held a much greater vigor. It was difficult for either of them to find the time to breathe as Twilight told the Warden of the fun times she had had with her friends, how the peacefully quiet town of Ponyville was anything but.
Gasping for breath as he clutched at his sides, the commander managed to compose himself long enough to speak. “S-so, it was just some wild flowers that did all of that to you? And you thought it was an evil curse?! Ha!” Moisture dripped down his cheeks as his eyes overflowed with tears.
Twilight herself was laughing nearly as hard as her company, partly because the Warden's laughter was as contagious as the flu, and that she realized a long time ago how amusing hindsight could be at times. “It wasn't one of my best moments,” Twilight admitted, her own fit of giggles ending. “But at least we were able to end the rumors about Zecora. She's even become a good friend to us.”
“That's good to hear,” the commander said, thinking on the odd parallels that the zebra's story had to his own world. Having been treated strangely because of how different she was, which led up to her being looked at as a witch who would curse anyone in spite. It made him think of two other witches, ones who he had personal affiliation with. One of which having many tales and superstitions about her, several actually turning out to be true.
The old memories caused the Warden to absentmindedly rub his thumb against the base of his finger, feeling the smooth wood that was wrapped around it. There was a long silence created due to his preoccupied mind, one that the young unicorn picked up on. Twilight also took notice to his current action, her eyes being drawn to what was on his finger. It was a ring, the very one she had seen when she was first examining the human, back before she had a grasp on who the Warden was. It was overlooked after everything else that had occurred that day, but now her scholarly mind was becoming curious. “What's the ring for?” she asked, having no better way to steer the conversation toward it.
In Equestria, at least for ponies, Twilight knew that rings were only ever seen as marital tokens. They were used primarily as part of the ceremony, a symbol of the couple's love and all of the basic sentiment. Though, as far as she knew, they weren't typically worn much after that. Considering the creature she was now with had an advantage with the fingers he had, it would be much easier to wear a ring without it being cumbersome. And the more the unicorn thought about it, there were many customs that were shared between the two worlds, so it was possible this was another.
“Are you married?” Twilight then asked, her tone much more hesitant and cautious than she realized.
The Warden-Commander blinked in surprise, just realizing his own action as well as the curious gaze that the mare directed toward him. “What? No,” he replied with a chuckle, remembering the last time someone had asked him that very question.
“Oh,” Twilight breathed, sounding somewhat embarrassed for her assumption. “Then what is it for?”
Almost involuntarily, a weary sigh left the commander, his eyes becoming locked onto the piece of jewelry. “It was given to me by someone... I was once close to,” he replied. “The ring is enchanted, it allowed her to sense where I was if I ever fell into harm.”
The commander held out his hand for Twilight to see it clearly. It was beautifully crafted, carved from wood and polished to perfection. As she examined it, the unicorn began to stare more and more intently at it. The grain itself seemed to shift and change as she watched it. Like one might see images in clouds, she could swear she could see something on the wooden surface. It appeared similar to some of the creatures she has seen in the care of her friend Fluttershy, but it held no definite shape. As though her mind was playing tricks on her, it contorted into a new shape seemingly at random. So slow and insignificant, it was a debate as to whether anything about it had changed at all.
The simple appearance of the ring wasn't the only thing that the scholar found odd about it. There was a strange, magical, aura she could sense surrounding it. The thing was indeed enchanted, but not by any spell she had ever seen before. It made her think of the strange magical properties that the Eluvian shards had, being so foreign to her, and yet still so different when compared to the shards as well. The enchantment felt distinct, almost unique, as easy to notice as a dot of black on a white canvas.
“Morrigan was her name,” the commander murmured, his thumb beginning to rub against the ring once again. “A mage, very powerful, having the ability to transform into various animals due to her unique training. She was intelligent as well, but very naïve to the civilized world. Having lived most of her life in a swampy forest, she had trouble grasping certain aspects of social interaction and behavior.”
Twilight listened to the Warden intently, her mind interested in hearing about the woman. She could sense the passion in his voice, clearly she was someone special to him. “Was she one of your friends on your journey?” she asked.
Nodding his head, the commander continued. “She was the first one to join me and Alistair, being very reluctant at first but realizing her own need to do so. It caused a bit of trouble between us though. Alistair was always suspicious of her, due to the fact she was an apostate. Her own feelings for him were mutual, but she wasn't as abrasive toward me. She was actually one of the first mages I had ever met, since my upbringing made such encounters rare, but I never held her power against her.”
“Really?” the unicorn questioned. “I figured Alistair wouldn't want her to come.”
“Oh he didn't,” the Warden laughed. “But he had no choice. At the time, it was just the two of us against a power mad tyrant and an army of darkspawn. Morrigan was offering her help and he wasn't going to look a gift ho-” the commander paused for a moment, his eyes drifting toward the mare beside him. “Uh, he wasn't going to... take it for granted... He eventually got over it anyway, though it didn't stop them from sharing snide comments to one another and generally complaining whenever they had the chance.”
A simple smile crossed the commander's lips as he recalled fond memories. “She was very intent on distancing herself from everyone else. Every time we made camp, she would always set herself far away from the rest of us. It made me feel sorry for her at first, looking so lonely. So I began talking to her, getting to know her and learning about the legends that were garnered by her abilities.” He became quiet for a few moments, scratching his chin in thought. “I'm not sure how it happened, but eventually... we began to develop feelings for one another. It was actually sort of cute how she reacted to it, such emotions being completely new to her. But she always tried making it clear that no good would come of it... Of course, I was a Grey Warden, destined to throw my life away in constant struggle against the darkspawn.” A frown creased his mouth as his shoulders shifted, his body heaving a sigh. “Though... it wasn't until the Blight was ending did I realize what she meant.”
“What happened to her?” Twilight asked, noticing that there was a hint of pain showing in the Warden's eyes as he recounted the story.
“A number of things,” the commander said cryptically. “She left after the Archdemon was killed, having fulfilled what she needed to do, the reason why she joined us in the first place. From what I've gathered, it was difficult for her, due to what happened between us, but it was something she had to do. I didn't hear from her for two years, then our paths crossed again. It wasn't going to last, I understood why we couldn't be together, but it didn't make things any easier. She then left once again, vowing we would never see each other after that. She was right, it's been a few years since then, and I've never heard from them again.”
“'Them?'' Twilight questioned, gaining a sudden surprised look from the Warden.
“Her,” the commander quickly corrected, playing it off as a slip of the tongue.
The scholar frowned sullenly. “I'm sorry for bringing it up,” she murmured.
“It's alright,” the Warden reassured, giving her a weak smile. “It's all old history now. I learned long ago that you can't dwell on the unfortunate circumstances in life. You take the bad in stride and cherish every moment of good, despite the obvious pains that such things can create. Now, I've learned to accept what has happened and move on.”
Twilight smiled at the human's words, finding a great deal of wisdom in them. “That sounds like wonderful advice,” she murmured sheepishly.
Involuntary to Twilight's actions, her mouth opened and stretched wide as a yawn forced itself out. Her lavender eyelids began to flutter as a feeling of drowsiness started to set in. The alcoholic drink she had consumed and the increasingly late hour were beginning to take their toll on the young unicorn. Losing her strength to fight it and stay awake, she leaned against the warm body of the commander, resting her head on his lap and using him as a pillow as sleep began to overtake her.
Before the Warden could even respond to the action, Twilight's eyes were closed and her breathing lowered to a soft rhythm, she was fast asleep. Not having it in him to disturb her, he simply let her be as he slowly took the last few sips of the bottle still in his hand. All the while, he began to absently stroke the mare's mane lightly, not noticing the smile the action formed on her lips.
With the library now quite, the commander was left alone with his thoughts. Much of his own inner dialogues were spent on him telling himself that there wasn't a thing weird or strange with his current situation.
The library was not the only part of the castle to find a peaceful sleep. Alistair's own was starting to become one of his greatest as his mind drifted off to a world that was his own, where anything could happen and he made it so.
Now, the Warden-King was lying in his own bedchamber within Denerim. The bed was as soft as it possibly could, the air was a cozy and comfortable temperature, and a beautiful maiden stood beside the bed, awaiting her king's command to begin the coming festivities.
Despite his position and power, very little had changed in Alistair's personal life upon accepting the throne. That included interactions of the opposite sex, or lack thereof. The king realized long ago that while his life may be void of a female companionship, he could at least enjoy their company within his own dreaming state without worry. Surely no one would suffer him for that, to take part in his natural needs, even though it technically wasn't real.
Now, he was preparing himself for the enjoyments that only his own head could provide. To pat himself on the back, he had to admit he had certainly outdone himself with the woman who was now before him. She was beautiful, with long, flowing hair that looked as soft as a cloud. She was clearly elven, with her pointed ears, though being slightly taller with her long, lanky limbs. Her skin was somewhat pale, but there wasn't a flaw on her natural body. That very body was dressed in a simple white nightdress, being held on her figure by two small straps on her shoulders.
With a smile that could melt the coldest of winters, the elven woman sauntered around the bed, swaying her hips in a tantalizing way that forced the king to stare in awe. Reaching her side of the bed, the maiden pulled the covers up and climbed in, lying on her side to face her king.
Alistair did so himself as well, lying down on the side opposite of her own so he could gaze into her loving eyes. Still unsure of himself in the ways of such excursions, the king took slow, almost hesitant motions as he reached out to his companion and began to caress her soft cheek and move down to her shoulder.
The elf moaned softly at the touch, her sultry gaze wordlessly asking her partner to continue further. Alistair complied as he quickly cleared the small gap between them both. With an unwavering confidence, the king leaned his head forward and planted a loving kiss on the woman's lips. It was a simple action, but no less affectionate.
Alistair then became surprised as he felt the maiden's tongue thrust forward and into his mouth, almost hungrily so. The action was filled with a fiery passion that caught the Grey Warden off guard, having never received such initiative before in earlier encounters. But Alistair returned it with just as much gusto, kissing his elven companion as deeply as his own tongue playfully fought against the invader.
Their kissing never faltered as Alistair began to move his hands about her body, caressing her smooth flesh and running his fingers across her hip and thigh. With one hand, the king pressed his palm against his partner's breast, kneading the soft, sensitive flesh and causing her to moan into his mouth.
Though the actions were enjoyed by both parties, Alistair's thoughts slowly became clouded and hard to focus. To his shock and disdain, he could feel his lucid dream collapsing into darkness, like a tether on his subconscious being pulled by a great might. It was all slipping away, his bedchamber, his elven maiden, all of it becoming lost as the waking world forced him away from it.
The waking world came back to him slowly, everything blurred in his drowsy state. His eyes refused to open on reflex, waiting to be forced open to greet the light of the morning. But as the king's mind began to clear itself, his senses began to feel the same sensations he was experiencing within his dream. It soon dawned on him that his lips were still pressed against those of someone else, as well as the soft flesh that his hands were touching.
As Alistair's eyes flared open, his vision was dominated by a sea of pristine white. To his horror, he recognized the equine face, his heart sinking into abysmal depths.
At that moment, Celestia's eyes fluttered open. The princess' pupils became still as her gaze was locked with Alistair's, leaving them both to stare in a time-ending stillness for a brief moment. Then, Alistair's body pulled back abruptly, breaking their kiss and removing his hands from her body, which were much lower than they would be on any humanoid woman.
A loud thud reverberated through the room as the Warden-King tumbled off the side of the bed and crashed onto the floor. With his mind too far gone to respond to the pain, his head bolted upward and began to look about the chamber in a panic. “W-where am I?!” he cried, realizing he wasn't in his own room. The chamber he was in was much more glamorous than the simple quarters reserved for guests, with an elegance that was meant only for royalty.
“Th-this, this isn't my room!” Alistair ranted, his frantic gaze falling back to the stunned Celestia. “Y-you... I-I-I was- Oh Maker no!” Stumbling to his feet, the Warden-King's entire body began to shake and tremble with the look of horror plastered onto his face. “I-I'm sorry! It wasn't-! I didn't-!”
With a mad cry, Alistair bolted from the chamber, nearly tearing the doors off of the wall in his exit. The king sprinted down the massive hallways of the castle with terror propelling him forward, screaming hysterically all throughout it.