A/N: This is a story about Nathaniel and Elissa, and foreshadows their future- which isn't exactly set in stone. Inspired by the story of them as kids, now teenagers and wary of falling in love. Enjoy!

Summary: A sweet little courtship between a Cousland and a Howe, and being teenagers who know what they shouldn't have, try for it anyway.

Characters: Elissa and Nathaniel

Courting Highever

Elissa sat up in the darkness— something had woken her in thrall of a furious toss of dreams and sweat. It was altogether too stuffy in her room, and she stumbled, grabbing the nearest garb and slipping it on, deciding against shoes (which were boots anyway) and opened her door— before almost falling over Chance, who remained on guard like the overprotective father he was. She swallowed all curses and scratched the mabari's ears, and he became her escort, though she did not need one— at the age of fifteen, she could go wherever she pleased.

Still, the point of her wandering about in the bracing night air was to find whatever it was that had roused her from her sleep— alongside her snuffling old mabari.

The flagstones were cool to her bare feet, and she was quite happy about having decided against shoes. Like a child all over again, girlishly padding about the castle, pretending to be spies—but all that was gone. She was young lady now, and had to behave accordingly, gracefully sailing through corridors, sighing over flowers and not sneaking around like a common thief. Her mother would know, warrior-maiden as she was—having ensnared Elissa's father with her feminine arts.

Something about that sounded familiar. Perhaps it was the thing that had woken her; a dream about her parents when they courted? Ugh that was bad, even just thinking about it made her queasy. But it wasn't what had startled her from her bed. No, not by a long shot.

It had been a dream of blood. Great, awful splashes that stained the walls of their keep, bodies of soldiers— pooling remains on the floor of the main hall. These were the things that churned her stomach.

A massacre.

She walked on quickly, but after a short distance, had to lean on the walls for support. Dry heaves racked her body, and she sank to her knees. Her breathing was getting quite uncontrollable, and she felt light-headed. She felt stalked by those armed men, shadowy and faint, killing everyone in sight. But Elissa knew that it was stupid. A single bad dream and she had found the way to her brother's room, though she could not seek him out. Not now. He was practically married now, and no longer could she sneak into his quarters with Oriana in there with him.

Perhaps Nathaniel—he was here too, for Fergus's wedding on Sunday.

Oh but it would be improper. Mother would have a fit. "Young ladies should not be alone with young unmarried men at any point of the day," Elissa muttered to herself. These were the same scolding words that accompanied her mother's daily attempts at teaching Elissa 'how to be a lady'. But Nathaniel was different. He had been her best friend from the first, and he had grown up to be quite the gentleman. She would be safe around him, despite her mother's misgivings. No one doubted the Howes when it came to honor.

Perhaps he would be willing to stay up late with her? They could scale the roofs and go to that tower's special spot with its grand view of the town and the unfettered sky. Elissa had discovered that place one sleepless night, and it had been magnificent, a sea of stars and winking lights from houses that glimmered so far away, away from everything else that tugged on her responsible self.

His room was just around the corner, and having come to Redcliffe ahead of his parents to be Fergus's ring bearer, making the east wing now devoid of its soon-to-be guests.

Now Elissa knew that she was barely dressed to meet Nathaniel, let alone to go gallivanting on the castle's shingles in the dead of the night. But he wouldn't mind— perhaps— and it was a tunic long enough to cover her bare thighs. That and she could always borrow a belt to cinch it tight around her waist.

She tiptoed to the door, and tried to think of something to say, beyond the obvious lines about the weather. In truth, she had not spoken to Nathaniel in quite a while—and it made her somewhat nervous—she hoped that he was still the same boy she used to know. She was still debating on a conversation starter that did not begin with an 'um…' when the door opened and Nathaniel appeared, blinking blearily at her from the darkness of his room. Elissa made a face at Chance, who had scrabbled so loudly at the door, waking her friend up from an apparently deep sleep.

"Lissa—?" He seemed confused, and was dressed in only a pair of trousers. Was he expecting anyone else? Elissa suddenly wished that she was elsewhere; this was dreadfully embarrassing. But as she searched for a reply, her eyes wandered over his lean body—the muscles that stretched across his bare chest—and below… she snapped her head back up, meeting his amused gaze.

"Eyes to my face, dear Lissa," the ass was actually grinning.

P.S.: I think we all agree that Nathaniel deserves a little courting? Thanks for reading!