AN: I apologize so very much in advance if you catch any mistakes in the following piece. A gauntlet was thrown that I simply had to pick up, and then this story idea simply had to make itself known by smacking me upside the head and saying, "WRITE ME NAO!" Still reeling from the one-two punch...

Anyways, my other OC character wasn't feeling enough love during the holiday season, so this was another way to fix that. xD Many thanks to csorciere, for throwing the gauntlet. I wanted to write something nice and wholesome... yeah, that didn't happen. Sorry!

Read, review, and as always, enjoy!

There were times in a woman's life when one felt as if she was on top of the world, that nothing could bring her down. It could have been the discovery of a true love, of finally succeeding in opening a business, or some other meaningful thing. In Anora's case, it was finally getting the rule of the throne.

Well, it hadn't happened yet; all that needed to be done was convince the whole of Ferelden that such an unlearned Grey Warden wasn't the best interest for the country as a whole. And truly, the same people had to have known who really was the brains behind the throne. While Cailan, Maker bless him, was the rather exuberant face of power, it was her, ruling from behind the shadows and doing a damned good job of it. It was stressful more times than not, but the reward was well worth it.

She had retired to her room for the night, a warm fire in the hearth and in her lavender dressing gown, her long hair unbraided and being brushed by hand. A woman of control, even in her own personal moments... She enjoyed doing this simple task herself, and often asked her handmaiden to leave for the night. Entirely focused on her ivory comb, she watched her reflection as her head was tilted to the side, counting each pass with the comb. Reaching an even hundred, her head straightened with an idle toss of her hair, revealing that she wasn't alone.

Her eyes widened as she spotted the masked and darkly dressed intruder, quickly rising from her chair with an outraged gasp and turning to call for her guards. She didn't count on the speed of her intruder, as he was right in front of her with a blade resting at her heart before she could scream. There they stood in a stalemate, her captor and his prey, watching each other closely for the next move.

Anora, impatient from waiting, finally spoke first. "If it's money you want, my coin purse is over there," she offered, nodding over to her late husband's desk.

"I don't want your money," her captor purred, his voice lilting.

"Then... kill me," she insisted, fighting the waver from her voice.

He smirked, eyes lighting with amusement. "If I were to kill you, it certainly wouldn't be like this."

Despite the danger of the situation, she frowned with thought- not too much as to cause wrinkles, as she had been taught when younger. He didn't want her money, or her life, ruling out the top two scenarios she had been told of. That left kidnapping, which would be a foolish move on his part due to the recent events she experienced. Guards were doubled, both in and outside of the palace, with explicit orders to be on alert should anything be amiss. But he didn't look stupid enough to attempt that... Her eyes widened with sudden implication. He couldn't mean-

"Ah, I can see by the look of horror on your pretty face that you must have guessed my intentions," he crooned.

"I will scream," she warned him with gritted teeth.

"Indeed you will," he promised. "When I am through with you... there will be plenty of screaming to be had."

"The guards-"

"Have been bribed, momentarily." He tilted his head, studying her further, before adding, "Believe me when I say you will not come to harm tonight if you cooperate." Letting this sink in, he spoke again. "Now be a good girl and sit down on your bed."

Stubborn, she locked her knees and glared at her captor. She didn't trust him to have honorable intentions in her room without an invite and a blade at her chest.

He tsked at her, stepping closer and gently maneuvering his blade to slide down her gown, cutting the ties to her top button and coming to a rest on the next one, the smooth metal coming to a rest just at the swell of her breasts. "This was not a suggestion, my queen," he growled.

A deep breath was started before she paused, the movement revealing more of herself to her captor. It didn't appear he was going to move the blade anytime soon, so she kept her body facing his, circling around him and backing up until her knees hit the bed. Anora slowly sank to the downy covers, doing her best to keep a calm composure.

"Good girl," he crooned. "Now, you will remove my clothing."

Her face flushed, but she grit her teeth, keeping the vicious retort back. Unclenching her hands from fists, she reached out, freed his shirt from his trousers and lifted it up.

"That is not needed," he casually informed her with a light push of his blade, the hem of his shirt falling back around his waist. "The rest." Watching as she followed his instructions, a fine tremble in her hands, he let her remove his boots and untie his trousers. "Very good," he then awarded, prompting her to stop. "Now, for your clothing."

Instead of following his instructions, she spoke up again. "I have more than a sufficient amount of money for you get your pleasure elsewhere!"

"Ah ah, that was not what I wanted to hear," he chided, quickly cutting through another button. Shocked, Anora moved to cover herself, only to be stopped by his hand. "And silly thing, you could hurt yourself that way-"

She cut off his smug attitude and reply with a sharp crack as she slapped him. That would certainly teach him! And if not, it would certainly make him angry enough to alert the guards enough to ignore their bribes for her safety's sake.

His head recoiled from the strike, but instead of being angry like she thought he would be, he laughed. "And I deserved that strike, for underestimating your feisty nature." Grasping her jaw tightly, he turned her head up to meet his. "I will tell you now, you either follow my instructions willingly, or I force them to happen. In this case, you either undress yourself, or I remove them for you... and make sure nothing else but your bed sheets will be wearable." Releasing her jaw, he moved back to where he was standing, an arch of a brow asking the question of her obedience.

Seeing no other choice, or a potential way out of this, she took a slow breath and removed her gown, revealing her nearly naked body to him before taking a seat on her bed once more. Her skin tightened against her will, despite the warmth from the fire, her bare nipples beading for him. Don't ask for the rest, please, don't ask for the rest, she found herself thinking desperately.

"The rest," he ordered, his voice now soft yet firm.

The flush of shame spread down her neck and collarbone, and with slow, forced movements, she finally sat before him, completely naked. She was rewarded for her obedience with a soft stroke from his callused hands, starting at her jaw, and trailing ever so slowly down to start circling a rosy bud. As it tightened further in his attentions, he chuckled, watching her skin flush even more. Whether or not it was from arousal was still up in the air.

"Now," he crooned, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. "I want you to lay back on your bed, arms over your head and crossed at the wrists."

Anora's mouth opened, prepared to start protesting again, when she noticed his look change to prepare to start scolding right back. He had told her to obey him... or he would do it for me... he wouldn't really force me, would he? Her mouth closed again, swallowing hard before she followed his orders, with as much dignity as she could muster. Slow measured moves, complete with legs firmly pressed together at the knee, brought her to her normal position on the bed. Seeing his eyes still on her, she then assumed the position he asked of her, the rising of her arms arching her breasts up higher.

"Very good," he crooned, coming around to study her closer, and taking her gown with him. She watched as he nodded in satisfaction, taking a seat at her hip, and setting himself to work. With efficient moves, he sliced one sleeve from her gown, only freezing at her indignant gasp.

"What are you doing?!" she cried, starting to rise.

The blade was instantly turned to Anora, making her pause from further rising. "I didn't say you could move."

Glaring at him again, she reassumed her previous pose. "You also didn't say you would destroy my clothing anyways, whether or not I obeyed you."

With a snort, he casually pointed out, "I'm sure this frilly thing will still cover your womanly figure without the aid of sleeves." And with that, he sliced the other one off, tossing the rest of the gown aside when he was finished. "Now, lay still."

She did as he asked, her heart starting to pound harder in her chest. He was really going to do this, and no one was going to save her... A more visible tremble started when her hands were sufficiently tied, making her captor pause. Damn, he saw! Keep your composure, Anora! she hissed to herself.

"Hush, my dear," he crooned, setting his hands on her again, only this time in comfort. "I will not harm you, I swear. It's my intention to treat you as a woman tonight."

A suspicious look met his honeyed gaze. "There are better ways for a man to approach a woman..."

"I am not just a man, as you aren't just a woman... yet."

She rolled her eyes, starting to reply, before she was interrupted by his mouth on her. She at first lay still below him, though his touch was equally gentle and tempting... it had been a long time since she had been touched by skilled hands, and the realization brought a familiar ache to the forefront, one that demanded it be sated now. Habit made her start to school the sensation back, but it was more difficult than normal.

His hand rose to cup her neck, seeking to deepen the kiss; with a moan humming against his lips, she opened easily for him, accepting the smooth slide. Oh, but was she a passionate one. The late king had to be a fool to leave someone like this behind... He had to tell himself to get back to the original mission, pulling away from her mouth to do so. The sight of her, relaxed and waiting for him, made his work progress that much faster.

"Does this hurt?" he asked, testing the strength of his completed bonds. As she shook her head no, he nodded in satisfaction and raised the other sleeve. "Now, close your eyes and lift your head." Considerably more docile now, she did as he asked, much to his amusement. She was blindfolded quickly and efficiently, giving him enough time to admire her once again. Licking his lips, he set to work.

Anora tensed at the first contact of lips on the hollow of her throat, relaxing once more as another kiss was smoothed onto her skin. A teasing trail started, going back and forth across her body and finding erogenous zones she never knew existed. Cailan, while a wonderful lover, was still a man easily distracted by her most obvious assets. This stranger, however, was planting kisses on the underside of her belly, lightly teasing her with tongue and breath alike. She was soon squirming under his attentions, wanting him to get to what she was used to, something she could control her reactions in. "What are you doing?" she finally forced herself to ask.

"I'm worshipping you, my queen. Isn't that what your loyal subjects do?" drifted back up to her ears. His kissing resumed again, this time starting at her feet. "Would they also kiss your feet if they had the chance?" he purred, trailing up her legs as he lifted them up. She allowed him, soon finding her feet pointed up to the ceiling. "Do they also not kiss your ass from time to time?" he snarked, before planting a playful bite to the underside of one said cheek.

A laugh damn near escaped her then; some did, she knew, but not quite like this. As he laved away the bite, she started writhing for an entirely different reason. While she had reason to be afraid before, when he was flashing his knife around, these moves contradicted that, showing him to be more of a trained lover than just a ruffian wanting to get ahead. Why all the forcing, then, if this was merely what he wanted?

So lost in thought she was, she didn't notice that he had moved on until his tongue set to her womanhood, her legs spread apart with firm hands. She hissed a breath in surprise, starting to subconsciously squirm away from him. A woman always had to be ready for their king, and any actions like this was considered whorish to her. His hands tightening on her legs stopped her mid-motion. "Do I need to remind you of our deal?" he asked.

Anora found herself swallowing again, forcing herself to relax once more, allowing him to continue his ministrations. Though he was doing a good job of it, her passion was now warring with how taboo this really was. A woman of repute didn't simply spread her legs for a man... but now that she felt how good this really was, how could she have resisted this for so long? He made sure not to leave a single inch unattended, lapping at a spot that spread warmth down her legs, to slide down and into where she was used to feeling a cock, thrusting in and out of her in crude imitation. This rhythm kept up, making her legs start to shake as her arousal steadily grew. He seemed to know just when to switch over to the next set of teasing, if only to keep her attention focused on him. Going back up to suckle 'that spot' on her body, he thrust two fingers into her channel, teasing her with both at the same time.

Moaning wantonly, her legs spread wider for him, no longer caring about principle and what was proper behavior. "Please..."

He stopped his ministrations, raising his head to look at her. "Yes?"

"Please... m-more..."

"As you wish," he demurred, returning his mouth to her button, his fingers resuming their rhythm inside of her.

"No, no," she cried, arching her back. "I need..."

"You may have to be specific," he told her, raising his head again. If only someone else could see what he was seeing right now, the queen of Ferelden spread out like a very womanly feast before him.

"I..." she started, before shuddering a breath and trying again. "I want you... inside of me."

"I am," he assured her rather cheekily, flexing his fingers in her. "Or have your forgotten?"

Her face flushed rather adorably, before she tried again. "No, I want your..."

"You can say it; I won't tell a soul," he coaxed her, his smile growing. This was just getting better by the second.

"I want... your manhood. Inside of me."

It took a massive amount of his willpower to not start laughing with glee, withdrawing his fingers. "Whatever you wish, my queen," he replied, positioning his hard member inside of her entrance. The ease of his first glide made the initial thrust harder than he intended, but with her so deliciously ready and willing underneath him, he couldn't resist himself.

Despite how amazing Anora felt, when she felt the familiar slide into her, she started gaining a little bit of herself with the familiar actions. Her hips rolled under him, her mind going back to her times with Cailan doing just this... sans the bindings, of course. Even though being tied had the perks of her skin feeling tingly under his hot gaze, she didn't feel entirely helpless to him.

"Release for me," he purred, still thrusting into her evenly.

She let him think he had her, then raised her chin in a very regal look, and replied, "No."

He chuckled over her, shaking his head. Still rebellious, I see... I can fix that, he thought, sliding his hand down to tease her button once again. "Yes," he corrected, flicking his fingers over the swollen pearl with ease.

Unable to help herself, her back arched with a moan, feeling herself squeeze around him as her thrusting slowly became uncontrolled and frantic. She wouldn't admit it to herself right away, but the way she felt in this moment, fighting her growing feelings of passion as they grew too big for her to handle... she felt like a woman. Just a woman, being loved by a man, with no repercussions or worries of the outside world.

With her next breath, she climaxed, crying out with pleasure for him. He allowed his control to loosen, allowing himself to release inside of her as well, joining her in that paradise of feeling, and simply allowing themselves to be. Coming back to the present world gifted him with a sight he'd never see again: Anora, their present queen, with the flush of a sated woman. He drank it all in, waiting until she started coming back around to make a rather obvious show of him leaving.

Feeling him climb off the bed, and readjusting his clothes back into place, she lifted her head in his direction. "You're leaving?"

"Why, yes," he replied, sounding ever farther away.

"But- but, you can't-"

"I'm afraid I must," he insisted, sounding like a gallant knight. "If someone were to see me with you in such a state, they'd call the guard on me." Ducking out of her room, he let the volume of her outraged shrieks cover his laughter.

o0o0o

Q'ara sat on her bed in Arl Eamon's palace in Denerim, studying the map of Thedas spread out on the map before her. A metal finger traced along the vellum, tracing out the trail they had taken prior to coming here. If what Alistair and Lyra had told her was true, then they had to have been traveling in darkspawn territory for almost a month now. It was a sobering thought.

Until, at least, the door opened, admitting Zev. She looked up at his arrival, feeling her features melt into a smile. "Ah, such a pensive look shouldn't be seen on such a beautiful face," he crooned, letting himself in and shutting the door behind him.

Q'ara straightened, cracking her back in the process. "Does this mean you're going to do something about it?" she teased, raising a brow as he set himself down next to her.

"Do you want me to?" he reiterated.

"Of course," she giggled, leaning in close to kiss him. Her elf was always finding ways to surprise and please her, even if it meant having these quiet moments stolen away all for themselves. Both knew this was simply the quiet before the storm; the real question was how long it would take to get here. Convinced of this, and needing him right then, she started loosening the ties to her shirt.

Zev stopped her, whispering into their kiss. "Wait, wait, Q'ara... we must resist. The poison will take a few days to leave my system completely."

She paused, pulling back to pin a serious look to him. "So, it's done?"

"What's done? I simply informed you of the poison in my system, and nothing else," he replied in his own, I-have-a-secret way.

Laughing, she shook her head. He did know exactly what to do to please her in every way, it seemed. "Alright, have it your way... but I still think we can have some fun without actually having sex," she stated, starting to remove her shirt once again. "Clothes, off. Now."

"Ah, Q'ara mia," he sighed, complying with her order. "I knew there was a reason I joined you in your tent!" Any further attempts to give her said reason were thwarted as the night went on; for now, that's how they preferred it.