There and Back Again
is a Dragon Age: Origins fanfic written by Elyssa Cousland. A "Modern Girl In Thedas" type story, which follows a woman, Sierra Jones, as she slips back and forth from our world to Thedas.
Official Summary: Sierra is a modern-day business consultant who has changed the history of Thedas. Cailan survived, the Blight is over, but will there be a cost to the changes she has wrought? What about the future, still-unknown?
It can also be read here.
Tropes found in this fan work include:
- Action Girl: Nearly every woman in the story. Sierra slowly grows into one.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Thomas Howe was originally uninvolved in his father’s evil schemes; in fact, it's implied that he has died as of the Awakening expansion. Here, he and Rendon Howe physically and psychologically torture their prisoners. Not even Nathaniel was safe from them.
- Big Brother Instinct: Aedan has this towards Sierra even before they are revealed to be blood siblings. Not so much from Fergus.
- Cassandra Truth: Inevitable, with Sierra’s knowledge.
- Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: Meeting Flemeth.
- Dimensional Traveler: Sierra continuously hops between “the real world” and Thedas. She bring objects into Thedas, but not from Thedas into the real world.
- Engineered Public Confession: The Landsmeet boils down to this. Both Loghain and Anora speak ill of Cailan, unaware that he survived and is in the room. The subsequent reveal turns the Landsmeet 100% into the Warden’s favor.
- Exact Eavesdropping: Alistair learns many things this way.
- Foreshadowing: In chapter 64, Morrigan mistakes Sierra’s returning period for a miscarriage. Come chapter 148, Sierra suffers a real miscarriage.
- Heroic Bastard: Alistair.
- Hidden Depths: Several characters.
- Alistair, the former Templar and well-built warrior, has a talent for drawing.
- Insecure Love Interest: Just about every couple in the fic.
- Insistent Terminology: Cailan is ‘Theron’ and Duncan is ‘Thomas’.
- King Incognito: Much harder than it would seem with Cail-Theron.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Nathaniel is an apple that fell far from the tree.
- Long-Lost Relative: Sierra turns out to be Elissa Cousland, Aedan’s twin sister.
- Mistaken for Romance: What Alistair mistakes Duncan and Sierra’s relationship to be.
- Nice Girl: Sierra, of course.
- No Periods, Period: Averted.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Zevran admits to impotence after misunderstanding Aedan’s response. Sierra lampshades this.
- Rags to Royalty: When Cailan recognizes Alistair as a member of the royal family, he and Sierra are elevated to “Prince and Princess of Ferelden” status.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Rendon Howe and Thomas Howe.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Cailan, during the Landsmeet.
- Rightful King Returns: Cailan’s return to Denerim.
- Secret Relationship: In order to spring their trap at the Landsmeet, Alistair and Sierra hide their marital status while in Denerim.
- Secret Test of Character: Sierra sets up Anora for one, to show Cailan who she truly is. Cailan is most disappointed.
- Seduction-Proof Marriage: The Happily Married Alistair and Sierra.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Cailan and Duncan survive Ostagar, thanks to Sierra’s timely intervention.
- Spoiled Sweet: While naïve and slightly daft about some things, Cailan is a good man.
- Technical Virgin: Sierra has had intercourse before. Her ‘Thedas body’ has not, as she finds out when she spends the night with Alistair.
- Threeway Sex: Zevran, Aedan and Isabela.
- Too Hungry to Be Polite/Big Eater: The Grey Wardens. However, Sierra has to hide her appetite so other don’t realize she took the Joining.
- Waif Prophet: How some see Sierra.
- Wham Line: “Duncan... they’re learning!”
