I'm going to preface this with several notes.

Rating: MA - I usually don't write very graphically, so this is a little more than what I normally do.

Note: Completely un-beta'd. I wrote this on a whim. So, be warned. Mistakes are mine.

Another Note: I have never done any sort of prompt or challenge before. But I saw that an author that I dig had requested this (Rae D. Magdon, check her out, y'all), had requested this, so I thought I'd give it a try. That being said...

I don't think I do humor particularly well, nor graphic sex. So both of those things kind of pushed me out of my comfort zone, which was one of the reasons I wanted to write this. Correction, everything about this prompt pushed me out of my comfort zone, but blah blah blah... growing and developing as a writer, etc. Maybe not my best work, but it was the least I could do for aforementioned writer.

All that being said, please leave me feedback and encouragement. I think my little author pride is stinging a bit.

The sun was setting. It had dipped just below the tops of the trees casting the forest in copper and gold. The leaves bowed and rustled in the delicate evening breeze, dancing and reflecting the aurous shimmer. Even the dead leaves and twigs under Leliana's feet were bathed in gold, as if the whole world had caught fire with the beauty of the setting sun.

She raked her fingers through her Warden's hair. It was normally light brown, but in this light she could see all the variations of color: chestnut and teak, strands of darker mahogany and hints of caramel. When she had first met the Warden, she had thought her a pretty girl, if a bit solemn. But it had been her smile, rare at first, that convinced the bard of her true beauty.

She would be a poor bard indeed if she were not aware of her own feelings, and she knew she was quickly taken in by the quiet, thoughtful young woman who fought with the meticulous calculation of a scholar but also possessed the fierceness of a rage demon. But what drew her to the Warden wasn't her fighting prowess or her intelligence, but her unwavering compassion. It was embodied in every decision the Warden made, every word she spoke, even to Morrigan and Oghren. Leliana had never met someone so steadfastly honorable as Elissa.

Even after finding out about Leliana's past, even after all of the horrible things Marjolaine had said, even after all of the truth was known, Elissa had been there for her with a faint, almost shy, smile. Her thumb was calloused, but not unpleasantly rough as it wiped away Leliana's tears. That night, she had realized that Elissa was far more than a pretty girl.

But she had not imagined that her feelings would ever be reciprocated, that she could ever be worthy of such love.

Her fist clenched in that beautiful hair of its own volition, and Leliana forgot all about her observations, her thoughts, forgot all about the beauty of the forest at sunset.

Such things were not important. Not now. Not when Elissa Cousland's tongue had slipped inside her, teasing her for just a moment. All she could feel was the blissful agony of her lips and tongue, torturing her by kissing and flickering everywhere but where she needed it most. Leliana surrendered to sensation and ground down on her lover's mouth, desperately, needing more than Elissa was giving her.

All she could feel was the Warden. She was heedless of the scrape of the rough bark of the tree she was leaned against, even as it rubbed the bare skin of her shoulders raw. She did not feel the waning warmth of the dying sunset on her face, or hear the heavy pants of her own breath, nor the whimpers of Orlesian pleas escaping her own lips. She saw nothing but the unseen colors flashing behind her eye lids.

She did not hear the crunch of approaching footsteps, or the breath of exasperation when they stopped. She did not hear the vexation in the mage's voice, nor her words. "Blasted damnation. Again?"

"Come on. They're bound to be here… somewhere." Oghren's whisper was more of a growl.

Zevran hushed him with an abrupt swipe of his hand. The Antivan snaked through the bushes silently and sidled up next to his companion. The finer arts of stealth were lost on dwarves, Oghren in particular. The dwarven warrior had his uses, he would admit. And, should their party ever need a dwarven-shaped battering ram or a substitute for a small stone pillar, Oghren would suit nicely. "You are almost as bad as Alistair with all your armor, clanging like a set of gongs."

"Pretty boy?" The dwarf grunted. "Does he even like girls?"

Zevran smirked and eased forward a bit on the rock outcropping where they had established their lookout vantage. The stream directly below them fed into a larger pool. In the melting sunlight, the water reflected copper like a brightly polished kettle. "Alas, I do not know our Grey Warden's proclivities lie. But given his delicate nature—"

"I'm right here." Alistair hissed through gritted teeth, only moderately annoyed about the insinuations in regard to his… tastes. "Although I don't know why."

"Ah, my point exactly, dear Alistair. We are here to observe the finer points of the feminine art. The elaborate dance of two beautiful, nubile young woman engaged in the intimate act of bathing one another, of their shared caresses turning to heated passion…" Zevran sighed wistfully as the poeticism of the moment escaped him, and he was lost to imagination.

Alistair felt the blush creep up his neck and flush his cheeks. "We're here to spy on Elissa and Leliana. Does that not strike either one of you as the least bit wrong? Let alone sordid and indecent?"

"Sordid… indecent… dirty…" Oghren said absently, his mind clearly elsewhere. "Two girls all wet and… wet, lathering each other up. Ancestors, boy, it isn't just dirty; it's downright magnificent."

The rustle of branches silenced any further protest from Alistair, extended poetics from Zevran, or perversions from Oghren. The three companions leaned as far forward as they could, but an offending tree blocked their view of the pool. Another rustle confirmed they were no longer alone, and their quarry was below them.

Oghren licked his lips in anticipation as he caught the flicker of clothing as it was shed, a hint of bare skin through the dense tree branches. The Warden and her little redhead better hurry up and get into the water. They wouldn't be able to see anything if they kept to the stream's bank. Just as his impatience was beginning to get the better of him, the naked figure stepped a tentative foot into the stream.

And all three men bolted from the forest as quickly and quietly as possible, not stopping until they were breathless and safe in their party's camp.

"There isn't a drink strong enough to scour that picture from my brain." Oghren groused once they had reached the camp again, rubbing his eyes vigorously as if he could somehow un-see what he had seen.

"It's like seeing the Reverend Mother naked." Alistair stared vacantly across the camp, his eyes hollow as if having witnessed some horror no mortal was meant to see. "Or your own mother."

Only Zevran shrugged. "Even the aged need the more carnal desires of the flesh." He was disappointed, of course, but it could not be helped. "And our dear Wynne still cuts a beautiful figure for all her years."

Across the camp, Elissa spotted her companions as they emerged from the forest, arm in arm with her bard. Immediately, she sensed something was amiss.

Oghren seemed dejected, as if someone had drank the last of the ale. Alistair waved back, but absently. Only Zevran seemed to be his normal self. She did not have long to wonder on the matter, as Leliana drew her closer and whispered into her ear, "Such a pity I did not have the opportunity to repay your favors, Warden. Perhaps," she purred seductively, which sent a shiver down Elissa's spine. "I can tonight if the opportunity presents itself, no?"

Grinning, Elissa halted their advance into the camp. She took the bard's chin in her hand, tilting her face until their lips were almost touching. "Such pretty words from such a pretty mouth." She murmured, enjoying the blush that had nothing to do with embarrassment that flushed Leliana's cheeks. "Perhaps I can find something for that pretty mouth to do." She allowed her voice to take on a slightly predatory growl, knowing how much it excited the bard.

The camp was quiet at night. Or it used to be. Morrigan was accustomed to being awake even when the rest of the camp, save for those on watch, were asleep. The darkness was comforting to her, as was the quiet. During the day, the majority of the companions were content to fill every blasted moment with idle chatter and useless, inane conversation. The Warden, and perhaps Sten, were the only ones who even remotely seemed to appreciate quiet.

Which was one of the reasons Morrigan was so perplexed as to the Warden's choice in lovers. Elissa was smart, cunning with none of the other warden's ignorant prejudices. She wasn't given to childish superstitions or pointless banter. If pressed, Morrigan might even admit she had developed a grudging respect for their leader. But why she had chosen to take that silly little chantry girl to her bed was a complete mystery.

Not long after the two had made it clear they were a couple, they had taken to sharing a tent. A tent which they moved farther away from the center of camp which placed it closer to Morrigan's own quarters.

It was not so much the proximity of the couple that bothered Morrigan, but their tireless activities were often quiet vocal. Especially the chantry whore.

While Morrigan was accustomed to being awake even when the others were not, even she needed to sleep sometimes. A fact which was made impossible by the constant… rutting taking place in the nearby tent. The two were worse than beasts caught in the throes of heat. She rolled over on her bedroll and cast an arm over her eyes, as if that could somehow block out the plaintive Orlesian cries from the neighboring tent.

"Please, Elissa… please…"

The Warden's reply was inaudible. A corner of Morrigan's lips quirked in response. It appeared that Elissa sensibly did not waste words even during lovemaking.

"Maker! By the Maker!" Leliana's moans were punctuated by appeals to her non-existent deity. Which finally pushed Morrigan over the edge of tolerance. Gritting her teeth, she cast her blanket off of her and flung open the flap of her tent.

"'Tis horrid enough that I am forced to listen to you two fornicate like wild animals." Morrigan pitched her voice to be heard over the moans and cries of passion. "But must you bring your god into everything, Leliana?"

Everything stilled unnaturally for a moment, as if the night itself was holding its breath. Gradually, the feeling dissipated, and the mage laid back down on her bedroll, smiling smugly.

She did not hear a sound from the other tent for the rest of the night.

"You're beautiful."

"And you're flattering me, Warden." Leliana turned in her lover's arms to face her, trailed a finger along her jaw. She could not help but smile into Elissa's openly affectionate gaze. The water in this part of the pool was shallow, just deep enough to lap at their waists. They had already washed and rinsed, but both were reluctant to relinquish the comfort and intimacy of the water and one another.

"It's true." Elissa reached up and brushed a damp lock of hair behind Leliana's ear, letting her fingertips linger on her cheek. "You're perfect. I don't know if I could do all…" She hesitated, worrying her lower lip between her teeth in the way that the bard found utterly adorable. "…all of this alone." The shadow of a frown creased her brow.

The weight of duty had begun to wear on Elissa. The longer they traveled, the more darkspawn they fought, the more that seemed to pile upon their Grey Warden leader. Gaining allies against the Blight had not been as simple as anyone had thought, and day after day they were forced into impossible circumstances, yet somehow Elissa seemed to lead them through all of them, but not without scars.

The burden of her own famiy's death was replaced with the burden of thousands of souls, crying out for salvation against the darkspawn. It was a responsibility that Elissa had never asked for, yet she shouldered simply because it was the right thing to do. Leliana would catch her sometimes, gazing sightlessly into the sky or the campfire, and knew what darkened her thoughts. Her heart ached whenever Elissa appeared so serious, so preoccupied with obligation.

Mentally, she cursed the Blight, the darkspawn, the archdemon. Their existence was reason enough for contempt, yet they were racking up a debt to the bard personally. Would Elissa ever know peace?

Leliana forced a smile to chase away the heaviness in their conversation, looped her arms around her lover's neck. "You would not be alone. I am sure any one of our companions would rush in to take my place. Perhaps, Alistair?" She teased.

"Mmm…" Elissa grinned and nuzzled her face into Leliana's neck, kissing gently along her shoulder to just below her ear. "I think Alistair is a bit too delicate for me."

"And I am not?" Leliana breathed in mock indignation, then gasped as Elissa's fingernails dug into her back. "Then perhaps Morrigan? She seems as though she might embrace the… less delicate aspects of your affection. Or Zevran. I have heard that Antivans…"

She was cut off by sharp teeth sinking into her shoulder, a gentle reprimand. "Hush." Elissa commanded, and the mood abruptly shifted. Leliana found herself forcefully whirled in place so her back was pushed against Elissa's front. Wordlessly, the Warden moved them to the edge of the pool, taking each of Leliana's hands in her own, placed them on the bank, holding them there for several moments. "Don't move." She whispered, her lips brushing Leliana's ear.

The command combined with the ghost of her lips against her ear immediately caused Leliana's pulse to quicken, her head to swim with anticipation. Their first time as lovers had been gentle, romantic, the embodiment of "making love." Subsequent times had been equally and frustratingly so. Elissa had been not-quite a virgin, and Leliana had been afraid to mention or suggest her more sordid desires.

But it did not take long for the Warden to find them out for herself. Much to the bard's pleasure, Elissa turned out to be a naturally aggressive, gloriously forceful lover with none of Marjolaine's cruel malice. Elissa intuitively balanced pain with pleasure, instinctually knowing when Leliana was close to her limits, and unlike Marjolaine, Elissa never pushed past those limits for her own selfish gratification.

That wasn't to say she never took what she wanted, much to Leliana's pleasure. Elissa released her grasp on one of Leliana's hands and abruptly entered her from behind, and without giving her a breath to adjust, began to thrust.

Leliana's hands tried to clench at the hard, smooth stone under her hands, to no avail. The pool was ringed in rock and stone just about waist high. The water was consistent in depth except where it deepened considerably in the middle. But at the edge, it was perfect. Leliana leaned forward, putting her weight on her hands and pushing backwards with her hips, driving Elissa's fingers deeper.

She sensed, rather than saw Elissa's grin as she took Leliana's less than subtle hint and plunged her fingers deeper, roughly taking her. "That's a good girl." Elissa breathed huskily, and Leliana bit down on her lower lip hard, marveling at the physical effects her words had. "Tell me what I want to hear."

Thoughts were almost impossible, let alone words, but Leliana bit down on her lower lip, harder and shook her head, knowing the denial would only provoke her lover. She was not disappointed, and she felt Elissa's free hand fist in her hair at the base of her skull and jerk backwards. The cry that escaped her was involuntary, and her inner muscles clenched around Elissa's fingers. "You're lucky that it is impossible to punish you properly in the water. But I won't forget this later. Now tell me." The threat was almost enough to push her over her over the edge into orgasm, but Leliana knew better.

At her hesitance, Elissa rewarded her with another, firmer tug of her hair and a third finger entered her.

Forcing herself to concentrate, she tried to give voice to the words she knew her lover wanted to hear. "I…" She faltered in Orlesian, consumed by sensation. She tried to ignore the brush of Elissa's hardened nipples against her back, the push of her groin against her backside. Hardest of all were the fingers filling her, taking her. "I'm yours," She finally gasped, and then she would lose the power to speak again, hurriedly continued. "I'm yours. Make me yours, Elissa, please."

Elissa's thumb grazed over her clit, and the thrusts began anew, rougher. "Good girl. Cum for me, my girl."

The force of the possessiveness in her voice and the permission granted, was all that was needed to push Leliana over the edge. She rode on the crest of the orgasm that seemed to last forever, grinding against Elissa's hand, her fingers, until she trembled and sagged from exhaustion.

The Warden easily caught her as she all but collapsed, gathering her into her arms, the act as tender as she had been rough moments ago. Leliana whimpered as fingers were gingerly withdrawn, and a small, impossibly gentle kiss was pressed against her temple. "I love you."

The world was a languid haze as the bard's pulse slowed, and she allowed herself to be fully supported by her lover, trusting her to hold her aloft in the water. Slowly, she turned her head and caught Elissa's lips in her own, trying to return the sentiment without words.

"Void take it!"

Leliana startled at the unexpected voice, and turned sharply. If it weren't or Elissa's strong arms supporting her, she might have dunked herself. Angry, hawk-keen eyes narrowed at both women, and Morrigan glared. The bard tried not to wither under her haughty stare, but it was mortifying. It was as if the mage had some unnatural sense for whenever she and Elissa were intimate.

"Other people have to bathe here, you might know." The mage had a change of clothing slung over one of her arms, and her hair had been taken down from its usual clips and cascaded down her shoulders in an inky waterfall.

Elissa smiled faintly. "You are welcome to join us, should you wish, Morrigan." She said, so seriously that Leliana might have thought the offer genuine did she not know the Warden so well.

The comment only seemed to incense the mage further, and with a flickering gesture of her fingers, she shot a cone of icy coldness into the water, causing the temperature to drop significantly. Both women yelped and scrambled to escape the suddenly frigid water, and Morrigan whirled on the ball of her foot and stormed away.

Zevran watched as the Witch of the Wilds charged from the forest's edge, clothing and towel still clutched in her hands. While Morrigan almost always appeared as if displeased, she seemed particularly… disgruntled as she stalked back to her tent. The Antivan Crows were known for their powers of meticulous observation, and he quickly deduced the cause of the mage's hasty return. "Ah, it seems our Morrigan was successful where we were not." He commented wistfully to Oghren.

The dwarf glimpsed up and huffed, his hands never ceasing as he sharpened the blade that lay across his lap. "Sodding witch… has all the luck. Bet she doesn't even appreciate it."

"I dare say," Zevran sniffed, catching the distant scent of charred magic on the air. "She does not."

Morrigan had had enough. All of the companions had retired to their tents for the evening, though it was doubtful all of them slept, even with the exhausting day of battle and darkspawn behind and ahead of them. The Warden and her companion were most decidedly not sleeping. And though Morrigan was entertaining no thoughts of sleep herself yet, she had still had enough. It was bad enough she was forced to watch the couple staring at each other all day, or watch the bard flutter her eyelashes at the Warden, or listen to their insipid banter.

Leaving her staff propped against her tent, she crossed the scant distance between their quarters like a Qunari preparing the charge. The sharp smack of an open palm striking bare skin caused her to flinch in annoyance. Yet when she reached the entrance, she schooled her face into calm and casually threw aside the flap and entered.

The two lovers were immediately aware of her presence, but not before Morrigan had a moment to observe the scene before her. Both women were naked, save the collar Leliana always wore was still fastened about her neck. The bard was on elbows and knees, facing the rear of the tent. The distinct handprint on her backside was a livid red, which Morrigan found was strangely satisfying. Elissa had knelt behind her, but quickly rolled onto her back, half reaching for her sword until she registered that it was Morrigan.

Leliana also rolled onto her back, clutching for the blanket to pull it over her exposed body. Morrigan mentally smirked; nudity was such a silly taboo, yet she was not surprised the bard held to it. Elissa, on the other hand, made no attempt to cover herself.

"Morrigan, what in the name of Andraste's sacred tits are you doing?" Elissa snapped, ignoring the reproachful glance of her lover.

"I came to beg the return of the tome I lent you. If you are finished with it." Morrigan let the words slip casually from her lips, as if she had not just interrupted them during their… base activities.

The Warden's mouth opened, then closed again. "Now?"

"If you are finished with it." The smirk found its way onto Morrigan's lips.

"If you had not noticed, Morrigan," Leliana snapped, her face nearly equal in shade to her hair. "We were somewhat… busy."

If there was one expression that the mage had mastered, it was haughtiness. "My intrusions never stopped you before. Why do you suddenly now care of my presence?"

Elissa grunted, whether it was in irritation or amusement Morrigan could not quite tell. Rolling over, she turned the small lantern up so the light was not so dim, and reached for the tome. "Ah… other hand, if you would please. I know where that one has been." She smiled sweetly at Leliana, who returned the smile with a glare.

Shrugging, Elissa obliged and handed the spell book back to the mage, with the hand that had not been buried in between the bard's legs mere seconds before. "Is that all, Morrigan?"

The mage nodded, unable and unwilling to stifle the smile on her lips, and turned to leave. As she lifted the tent's flap to duck underneath, she paused, and glanced over her shoulder. "'Tis smart, I think, Warden." She nodded pointedly at Leliana. "To keep your chantry girl collared and leashed. Might I suggest a gag as well? Then perhaps, I might sleep."

As the tent flap fluttered closed behind Morrigan, she was treated to the sweet song of an elaborate series of Orlesian obscenities flung in her wake. The curses were abruptly muffled, and it was a wholly unnatural sensation as she felt her lips spread into a broad, genuine grin.

And there you have it. Let me know what y'all think. Please. I'm begging you.