Note: Bethany and Leliana mention each other a few times in the Dragon Age series. Apparently they were quite good friends and I can't help but ship it; I mean why else would Bethany risk being discovered by the Templars so she could hang out with Leliana? I think this is another pairing that doesn't get enough attention, so enjoy the story! Next chapter will hopefully be posted soon!

The slam of the Chantry door was a thunderous boom that resounded throughout the chapel. Bethany cringed at the sound, blanching slightly as she expected a furious Sister to draw from one of the pews and reprimand her for making so much noise in the house of the Maker.

After a few tense seconds of waiting, she breathed a sigh of relief as no sound came from the Chantry despite her own shaky breathing. Deeming that she was safe from any Sisters, the mage quietly slipped through the chapel before seating herself at the front pew, the wood giving a small groan as she seated herself upon it. She wasn't exactly sure why she had come to this place; it was certainly no place for an apostate, a fact that she was acutely aware of, but a fact that wasn't a particular concern of her own at the moment. No, the mage was too busy taking in the absolute silence of the hall; it was whole, surrounding her, bliss. The silence was a more than welcome reprieve from the noise that she had been putting up with all night.

Mother had been terribly stressed all night, worrying over Carver and Marian. The siblings had been out long past their curfew (Bethany knew where they were, but of course she said nothing of it) prompting their mother to go on a spree. Pacing about their home so rapidly that Bethany was surprised that she hadn't worn a ditch into their wooden floor, she would occasionally stop to pull the drape aside and peer out into the night; as if the missing siblings would appear in the home if she completed the obsessive action an absurd amount of times. The woman had burst into the room Bethany shared with Carver for the umpteenth time that night, voicing her worries to the young mage and praising her on what a good girl she was for not staying out all night, worrying her poor mother and doing Maker knows what, like her siblings did.

Bethany had forced a smile at her mother, her light brown eyes looking over the pages of her book at the woman with forced patience. She had been growing irritated at her mother's actions, but she lied easily with her eyes. She was eighteen years old, the same age as Carver, and he was out having fun with a girl that he was sweet on, while she sat here, reading a book and watching her mother have a fit. Marian was doing the same, spending time with a girl she was sweet on; oh the fit Mother would have if she knew Marian was fooling around with a girl. She had always been adamant about Bethany or Marian giving her grandchildren. She wanted Carver too as well, of course, but she obsessed over Bethany and Marian's potential children the most.

Mother's pacing had intensified as Bethany slammed her book shut and tossed it on her bed, suddenly sick of the words on the page; the walls felt like they were closing in and Mother's erratic pacing squeaking across the wooden floor were all becoming too overbearing on her senses. The warm air was suddenly too much, as if Mother's anxiety had actually pooled into the air and made it chokingly, unbearably thick. Emerging quietly from her room and drifting to the door of their home, Leandra's wide eyes had followed her. "Where are you going? Bethany, you can't go out now! Marian and Carver still haven't returned!"

The mage had sighed in irritation, clenching her jaw and not even turning to face the woman before she wrenched the wooden door open and flew out into the night. "I just need to get out for a bit, Mother!" She shouted as she sprinted into the cool night, the moon and stars casting an ethereal light over her fleeing form.

And with that she had found herself flying into the Chantry as fast as her feet would carry her, Mother's calls chasing her the entire time she sprinted through the town. But the mage didn't care, didn't stop sprinting past homes and villagers until she had reached the building and slammed herself inside.

And that was where she remained now, sitting on a pew and contemplating the night and her family. Leaning back on the pew with a sigh and absentmindedly calling on her mana, she brought forth a small amount of fire in her right hand. Light brown eyes flickering in the flames, she tossed it to her left hand, then back to her right, then to her left again, her eyes never leaving the little ball of warmth.

Playing with fire in the Chantry? Are you insane?! You could burn this place down, or more likely, get caught! Her conscience was screaming at her, but she was too detached to listen to it. Her mind was not thinking of how stupid and irresponsible her current actions were, she didn't care; she was thinking of her family. Marian and Carver were alive, being careless; and she was living, but not alive. Constant worry of being discovered as a mage forced her to keep others at a distance. Most of her friends were people she had met through her siblings, but they clearly saw her as Marian's little sister, Carver's twin, not Bethany; not her own person.

Bethany could only think of one person who saw her as Bethany, not Carver's twin, or Marian's little sister, or even Leandra's daughter; Sister Leliana.

The Orlesian woman was new to the Chantry in Lothering. One rather unremarkable day, a day that Bethany had been sent on a tedious task to go to the market to buy eggs with Marian, had suddenly turned into a day she would never forget when she spotted the beautiful redhead in her flawless Sister robes entering the Chantry. She had been here for about a month now, and prior to seeing the gorgeous woman, Bethany had given the Chantry a wide berth.

She had memorized the faces of everyone associated with the Chantry in Lothering, so she knew who to avoid, and this woman's did not match any of them.

The redhead had frozen as she pulled the door to the Chantry open, almost like she knew that Bethany was watching her as she walked past with Marian. Whatever Marian had been droning on about faded to insignificant gibberish as the Sister's blue eyes looked up to meet the mage's of light chocolate. She felt her cheeks burn as this perfect woman looked up at her. Her expression was friendly, her eyes warm and soft like liquid sapphire, her full red lips upturned in a smile, but there was a strange sadness behind it, like the woman was recovering from some unspeakable wound.

This wasn't all that had fully enraptured Bethany however; it was that the woman didn't look at Marian. She looked at Bethany. The pretty blue orbs didn't pass over her to settle on Marian and crush everything the mage was feeling; they didn't even pass over Marian at all as they focused raptly on Bethany.

That moment when their eyes met, Bethany felt like someone had shoved a rod of lightning in her, the way her heart kicked into fourth gear and set her blood pounding throughout her body, making her skin flush. Her arm jerked out and up almost spastically, nearly smacking Marian in the head in her haste to wave at the Sister with the pretty sapphires for eyes that had stricken her with their lightning. Bethany felt a huge grin plastered over her face, and she didn't even care that Marian had been forced to cut off her gibberish with a cry to dodge the mage's flailing arm.

The perfect Sister had laughed, far enough away that, sadly, Bethany couldn't hear it, but she saw it on the woman's face. Her smile grew wider, showing even, white teeth as she laughed, the sadness and pain behind her previous smile dissipating in that moment of carelessness. She returned the wave, giving Bethany a genuine smile before hesitantly entering the Chantry.

That moment had only lasted a few seconds, but it meant the world to the mage. Without those few seconds, she never would've met Leliana, her best friend.

Bethany smiled as the scene replayed in her head; she still absentmindedly tossed the ball of fire from one hand to the other as she thought of Leliana, feeling warmth in her chest and blissfully unaware that the Chantry doors had opened and silently closed behind her.

"Playing with fire in the Chantry?" It was that gentle, lilting voice with a beautiful accent that could be easily recognized as Orlesian; that voice that turned the mage's bones to jelly.

Bethany's light brown eyes went wide and she clenched the fire in her fist, extinguishing it with a hiss as she flew out of the heavy pew, knocking it back a few inches with the force of her body propelling out of it. She spun around to face who she knew would be standing there, her face blanching as she knew she had been caught. This was it; Leliana knew what she truly was. "Leliana! Wh-what fire? There's no fire!"

The Sister arched a perfect eyebrow at her and Bethany crumbled before the Orlesian even had a chance to say anything. She grabbed Leliana by her shoulders, her robes soft under her fingers and her shoulders hard with agile muscle. "Please Leliana, I'm begging you! Don't get the Templars! I swear to the Maker that I'll do whatever you want!"

To her surprise, Leliana began laughing. It wasn't mocking or malicious, just the type of laugh that Leliana gave when Bethany did something that tickled her for whatever reason. She trailed off, smiling at the mage before placing her hands over Bethany's that were still clinging to her shoulders for dear life. Her hands were warm and soft, yet her fingers had small calluses. Usually it was only warriors that had calluses from toting swords or daggers or bows; so why did this gentle Sister have them? The thought was fleeting, and Bethany was snapped out of the temporary reverie as Leliana spoke. "Be calm, Bethany. I always thought there was something about you; a reason that your family is so nervous around the Templars."

The mage looked away from the gentle blue sapphires that were the Orlesian's eyes. She suddenly felt dread settling deep into the pit of her stomach; was this going to change things between the mage and the beautiful sister of the Chantry? Would Leliana no longer wish to speak to her because the Templars deemed the magic that she possessed dangerous? "So…if you aren't going to call the Templars, are you going to think I'm an abomination and never speak to me again?"

Leliana gave a small sigh, gently a placing a hand on the mage's shoulder. Bethany looked up at her, her eyes tracing the sympathetic expression on the Orlesian's pretty face. "Bethany, I know what it is like to be…judged for something that is no fault of your own; something that you have no power over. The feeling is a rather new enemy of mine that I grapple with constantly. I would not subject you to the "mercy" of the Templars."

Leliana's usually gentle voice and expression were suddenly intense as she spoke; she caught it as she stopped speaking before slipping back into her cool demeanor. Bethany noticed the normally controlled woman's sudden passion, and she nearly asked her why she reacted the way that she had, but the mage just opted to throw her arms around the Sister and hug her tightly, infinitely relieved that she understood. She smelled incredibly sweet, like sugar, roses, candy, and Andraste's Grace. Leliana's robes were soft under her cheek, and the feeling of the Orlesian's body pressing against her own as Leliana pulled her closer to return the hug made Bethany's heart hammer against her ribs. "Thank you, Leliana. You're the only person outside of my family to know this; quite ironic really, considering you're a Sister of the Chantry."

Her lilting giggle filled the mage's ears. "Technically I am associated with the Chantry, but technically I'm not a full Sister."

Bethany hesitantly pulled back from the hug slightly to meet her sapphire gaze. "What do you mean?"

Leliana's eyes traced the mage's face as she spoke."Well, I'm a Lay Sister. I have more freedoms than Sisters of the Chantry. I do not take as many vows as a Sister, and my duties vary slightly."

"You don't take the same vows?"

Leliana grinned slightly, a barely noticeable upward twitch of her full lips. "Most notably the vow of chastity."

Bethany felt her cheeks flush dark red. She was suddenly aware that she and Leliana were still locked in a partial hug, her arms around Leliana's shoulders while the Sister's were draped about her waist. To anyone walking in it would've looked like an embrace. The mage's mind suddenly flashed to an image of another Sister walking in and misreading the situation. Bethany suddenly gave a nervous little giggle and looked back up at Leliana. Were their faces this close a moment ago? Were Leliana's eyes that…hungry? Were they staring at her lips like that before? Why would she mention the vow of chastity? Bethany felt heat pool in her cheeks and at the pit of her stomach, the overwhelming desire to kiss her best friend suddenly clouding her mind.

The Orlesian's sapphires suddenly flashed back up to the Fereldan's eyes of light cocoa, and she blushed even deeper before using sitting on the pew as an excuse to pull away. The pew was knocked askew and out of line from the others due to how suddenly she had propelled away from it when Leliana had joined her in the Chantry just a few minutes ago. Her body didn't want her to pull away, but her mind was muddled. Leliana was her best friend and a Sister of the Chantry, technically a Lay Sister, but still a Sister. A mage and a Sister? How wrong could you get?

The aforementioned Lay Sister sat beside her, crossing one leg over the other and looking over at Bethany. Leliana opened her mouth to say something, but Bethany spoke quickly to change the subject. "Where are the other Sisters?"

Leliana gave a small hum of thought before answering the mage's inquiry. "Tonight was a night of choice. The Sisters could spend time with any nearby family, or go to the tavern to hold a small service for the patrons there. I was at the tavern, but I grew tired of my words falling on deaf ears." Her voice was a bit huskier and it sent a chill down the mage's spine. She was afraid to look back up at the Sister; afraid that she would see those hungry sapphires and full red lips begging for her to meet them with her own.

The mage took a shaky breath, prompting Leliana to look at her with concern. "Bethany, are you okay? You're very flushed." The Sister gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

The Fereldan felt herself blush even deeper and she tilted her head down slightly in an attempt to let her hair hide her face. She couldn't push away her desire to kiss Leliana, and the physical contact didn't help. She had always had a crush on the Orlesian, from the moment she had locked eyes with her when she first saw the redhead entering the Chantry; it was the reason she had talked her mother into letting her go to every service. She had always met Leliana in an open setting; daylight with other people around, or, of course, at services. She had never been in such an…intimate setting with her; the Chantry was dark except for the glow of the candles scattered about the room, making the whole place glow ethereally. The beautiful, dim lighting only made Leliana more perfect.

Bethany stammered out a response, refusing to let herself look up at Leliana. "I'm okay, I should head home really. Mother has been worrying about Marian and Carver all night, and I'm exhausted." It wasn't completely a lie; there was no doubt that Mother was now freaking out about her as well. Bethany had completely lost track of time, she wouldn't be surprised if her siblings were home by now. Most importantly, she had to get away from her lust for Leliana.

She climbed off the pew, Leliana standing with her. The mage paused to straighten the pew, aided by the Sister. She turned to head to the door, but paused as Leliana's musical voice called out after her. "Goodnight Bethany; sweet dreams." Her voice was playful and husky, like she could see right through the mage and knew she was running from the Orlesian. She smirked widely, her sapphire eyes lidded mischievously. Bethany could have sworn the Sister winked at her, but she was having trouble believing her any of her senses at this point.

"You too; goodnight Sister," the mage managed to stammer, her face somehow managing to flush an even deeper shade of crimson as she quickly turned away from Leliana. As Bethany wrenched open the door to the Chantry and fled out into the cool night, the stars shining on her as she made her way towards her home, the Orlesian's musical giggle drifted after her as if carried by the cool, gentle breeze.