I'm posting this as an experiment really. It's the first time I write in english so I apologize in advance for any possible mistakes and I welcome any readers to correct them. Other than that I hope you enjoy it (as much as I am enjoying the game... again).

#Valyzons

The sight of the great walls of Skyhold made her smile automatically and spur on her mount to reach the gates faster. The trip from Starkhaven had been pleasant and uneventful for the most part but still she was dying to get back to the fortress that she had ended up calling home. She wanted nothing but to strip off her armor and put on some thinner clothing. Summer had taken a while to reach Thedas that year but once it had, it had done so with all its might. She didn't recall feeling that hot since that time they killed a Sandy Howler in the Hissing Wastes and she had been close to being literally cooked alive inside her breastplate. The cool breeze of the Frostback Mountains was a relief but not enough to compensate for the many days of journey under the merciless sun.

It was not the only thing she was yearning of course. She had also missed the long strolls she had gotten used to take with Cassandra in the gardens while discussing martial techniques or the latest edition of Swords and Shields (yes, she had ended up falling to the pressure of the Seeker and had read it) or gossiping with Josephine and Leliana about the horrible shoes Lady Lissandra had worn during her last visit or drinking a pint or two in the tavern while listening to the stories of Bull and his Chargers… In fact, after taking a very necessary bath she intended to go straight to the tavern, drink a couple beers with her men, have Varric tell for the zillionth time one of his tales and finally find Cullen and ride him like a stallion until they both were way too exhausted to even walk. Her smile widened at the thought of her Commander and lover, he was ultimately what she always missed most. If a year and a half ago they had told her that she would survive a magical explosion, get an old elven artifact to scar her palm giving her power over the Veil, witness the reform of the Inquisition of old, become the Inquisitor and lead an army of thousands against an ancient magister who wanted to make himself a God she would have risen an eyebrow at disbelief at the very most. If they had told her that she would find the love of her life she would have laughed so hard she would have been sore afterwards. Definitely, fate had a strange sense of humor.

"And the Inquisitor crossed the gates and was swooped into the arms of the Commander…" she heard Varric say behind her in his best storyteller voice, turning to see a knowing smirk on his face. Maker, was she that transparent?

"I bet he is going to do more than just swoop her into his arms, right Boss?" she rolled her eyes, never ceasing to be annoyed by their teasing despite being so used to it.

"Shut up you two before I set you on fire. Maker knows it wouldn't take much of an effort with this heat" despite her words she couldn't help but smile, she didn't mind them knowing of her relationship with Commander Cullen. Not that they had really tried to hide it anyways, he had a fixation on kissing her in the battlements at broad daylight where anyone could see them.

"I wonder what our dear Inquisitor is thinking to be so… heated" Dorian's comment was the last straw that Iron Bull and Varric needed to burst out laughing. She shot the Tevinteran mage a dark look, struggling to contain both the flush that was creeping up her neck and her own laughter.

"Not you too Dorian" he rose her hands putting on his most innocent face… which wasn't saying much.

Luckily, she didn't have to ignore them for much longer before they reached the open gates, greeting those that had congregated there. Although refugees were starting to leave Skyhold now that it was safe to do so, many were still living amongst the protecting walls of the fortress and, for as long as they could shelter and feed them, they were welcome. She dismounted, stretching her legs and back that were sore from the long journey, grimacing when her vertebrae cracked at the sudden movement.

"Greetings Inquisitor, I hope the journey went out well?" Scout Harding was always the one to bid her welcome when none of the other members of the Inquisition were available. They were all on a meeting most likely.

"It did… except for the heat. Summer has just arrived and I can't wait for it to be gone" she mumbled, talking more to herself than to Harding who raised a skeptical brow at the blood stains that still clung to the leather in her armor "Bandits. Stupid enough not to run after seeing Bull. I still can't understand why someone would willingly attack a seven-feet-tall muscle wall with horns and a greatsword" she shrugged although deep inside she was concerned about those bandits. There was something about them that had set up all her alarms but she couldn't quite put her hand on it.

"The others are in the War Room, should I tell them you've arrived?" Evelyn nodded and, after making sure there was nothing that required her immediate attention, left for her chambers relishing in the feeling of being finally home. She was about to tell one of her servants to prepare a bath when she saw that the tub was already full with steaming water, the faintest scent of jasmine coming from it.

"Who ordered this?" she asked, her lips already curving upwards. She knew who but she wanted to hear it nonetheless.

"Commander Cullen Inquisitor" That man knows me far too well she thought. When had she told him that she loved jasmine? "Is everything to your liking?" Lia always seemed anxious to please her despite the many times she had told her that she wouldn't turn her into a toad. Mostly because she didn't know how to.

"Everything is perfect Lia, thank you. Just bring me some more water and please make sure it's cold" the servant nodded and left quickly, returning minutes later with a couple more buckets filled with lukewarm water.

Patterns of light and color formed in her skin as the light pierced through the stained glass of her windows while she undressed, taking off her sweaty, blood and mud-covered clothes and tossing them aside for Lia to take them to the laundry. She stepped into the little room on the far end of the chambers that she had made her bathroom in the middle of which there was a bronzed tub, invitingly as ever. She sighed in pleasure as she sunk into the bathtub, letting herself slide until she was totally submerged in the water. Slowly, she unmade the tight braid she usually wore and combed her long her with her fingers before resting her head in the edge of the tub, making herself comfortable, quickly drifting into drowsiness as weariness fell on her.

She was alert enough to hear the footsteps that approached her though, footsteps that she would have recognized anywhere. She didn't say a word, pretending to be asleep, waiting for him to say something but a couple minutes passed and she couldn't resist the temptation of opening one eye with curiosity. He saw him inspecting the exposed skin of her back with a frown on his face, so focused on his task that he didn't even see her opening her eye.

"You know, it's not proper for a gentleman to stare like that at a bathing woman" he rose his eyebrows in surprise at her voice and his lips curved slightly upwards.

"I was checking for bruises or injuries" he justified himself, settling on the floor next to her. He was tall enough to be at the same height she was even sitting.

"Is that your new excuse to see me naked, Lord Commander?" she asked feigning an offended scowl but raising one arm to tangle her fingers with his.

"Since when do I need an excuse to see you naked, Lady Inquisitor?" he smirked, a sarcastic tone in his last words, and brought their intertwined hands to his lips to kiss her knuckles.

"Good point" she run her thumb over the scar in his upper lip and let her hand fall until it reached the collar of his shirt, pulling him in for a kiss, the familiar flavor of his lips on hers setting her on fire as they always did. "Care to join me?" she rested her forehead on his, smiling wickedly as she lowered her hand to his shirt, starting to pull at it to take it out. He had changed his usual breastplate and furred overcoat for a simple white shirt because of the rising temperature, a change that she intended to exploit to her benefit. However, his gentle hands stopped hers as he chuckled.

"As tempting as that sounds I'm afraid I have business to attend to" he excused himself and kissed her again, swallowing her protest despite knowing that she would complaint anyways.

"What business could possibly be more important than the Inquisitor's needs?" Evelyn crossed her hands at her chest in a gesture deliberately childish and rolled her eyes when Cullen told her that he was going to help with the training of new recruits. Corypheus might be dead but there were still many problems that required the Inquisition's forces and new recruits were coming every week. At that rate, soon they would have to move to a bigger fortress. "Don't we have captains and lieutenants in charge of that?"

"Yes, but I like to supervise them myself, you know it" she sighed and rolled her eyes again, uncrossing her arms to caress his stubble-covered cheek.

"All work and no play, whatever am I going to do with you?" he smiled warmly at her, kissing her palm before reaching for the washing cloth and starting rubbing her arm.

"I can make it up to you. What about dinner? I'll ask the cook to prepare something special" she tried to keep her smile from showing and acted as if she was thinking about it.

"Just the two of us?" she could contain her smile but the excitement in her voice was clear even for her.

"Just the two of us" He didn't rise his eyes from his task but she could see a smug expression on his face.

"With wine?"

"Certainly. I was thinking on opening a Vint-9 Rowan's Rose" she groaned, her farce of being angry shattering with his words. He really knew which buttons to press to have her on his palm.

"When you stop being a spoilsport I love you, you know?" Cullen laughed and raised his eyes from his task for the first time, winking at her before returning to what he was doing. She moved her auburn hair to one side of her shoulder, allowing him access to her back.

"So, how was the trip? Did you get Starkhaven's support?" always so professional she thought, shrugging at the question, expecting it.

"It is too soon to know. But I am optimistic, I trust Hawke to convince him" Evelyn closed her eyes, relaxing at the feeling of him scrubbing her back, his calloused hands moving tenderly through her skin. The "New Circle Initiative" as Josephine liked to call it was a tough project but she intended to see it through. And the first thing she needed was support.

"Varric says she can be very persuasive" Evelyn turned her head to look at him with a roguish smile on her face.

"I bet she can be even more persuasive than normal when it comes to Sebastian" Cullen chuckled, understanding dawning on him and shook his head "you should have seen how he looked at her. I am sure most of the time he wasn't even listening to me; too busy gazing at her like he wanted to devour her. Probably he did"

"Well it is only natural, isn't it? How long had they being apart? A year?" she nodded, secretly proud of being able to discuss sex so openly with him. She still remembered how he had flushed when asked about Templar chastity vows back in Haven. Only a year and a half had passed since then yet it seemed like a lifetime to Evelyn. So much had happened…

"Almost, yes. Between the Grey Wardens and the war against Corypheus… but they made up for the lost time trust me. I was sleeping in the other side of the castle and even there I could hear her screams" she couldn't help but laugh when she saw him blush slightly. Old habits die hard.

"You think he'll propose now that he has her with him?" it was an open secret that Sebastian wanted Hawke to be Princess of Starkhaven next to him. Tradition apart, he wanted to legitimate a union that had been going on for years already. If he hadn't done it sooner was because he had been too busy regaining his principality. Now that he was the rightful Prince of Starkhaven, it was a matter of time.

"Perhaps. I don't know, it's complicated. She is a mage after all and baseborn, the nobles at Starkhaven aren't going to take it well, not at first. When we arrived, he had a horde of noblemen waiting in line to show him their daughters like cows in a cattle market. Hawke scared some of them off for sure but many will try to dissuade Sebastian of even trying to marry someone like her" she shook her head, annoyed. One of the things she had been thankful for when she was sent to the Circle was that as a mage she wouldn't have to endure the torture of being presented and sold as if she was a chicken.

"That can play in our favor. If he accepts the Initiative and starts establishing it in his land he would be sending a pretty strong message to those who oppose his intentions of marrying Hawke. It could pave the way towards a more… tolerant atmosphere" or get him killed in the process he thought but didn't say it aloud, he didn't need to worry Evelyn with his doubts; she had enough with her own. She nodded in agreement, a familiar lost look on her face that she displayed when she was deep in thought.

"I thought about that but didn't say it aloud. It seemed… impolite. It would have sounded like a threat and luckily we don't need to use threats when it comes to Starkhaven"

"I don't think you had to. Hawke probably knows it already and if Sebastian doesn't, he will soon enough. If he loves her as bad as you say, he won't stop at anything to get her" he had met the man briefly during his stay at Kirkwall, one of Hawke's many shadows, always following her. Although they had barely spoken a couple times he knew he had left the Chantry to avenge his family… and to be with Hawke. It took a great deal of stubbornness and determination to be able to leave an institution such as the Chantry, he knew that much himself from his experience with the Templars.

"I hope you are right. We need the support for the Initiative… and Hawke has suffered enough already. She deserves a little stability and happiness in her life for once" there they were, the two parts of Evelyn Trevelyan. When she was the Inquisitor she was cold, efficient and pragmatic but when she was herself she was constantly concerned for those she cared for. That had been one of the things that had attracted him to her in the beginning, how passionate, how dedicated she was to everything she did.

"Have some faith Eve" he said, kissing her nape before getting to his feet. If he wanted to help with the training he had to leave before the temptation of joining her was too great. "And by the way, I don't think Hawke's screams were any louder than yours are every time I make you mine" he whispered in her ear, a smile clear in his voice sending goosebumps to her skin.

She quickly turned, reaching out for him, trying to grab his shirt to pull him into the bathtub but was too slow and by the time she rose her hand he was already gone. For a man his height and weight he was maddeningly swift.

"I hate you" she muttered under her breath and with a frustrated groan she slid into the cooling water. He was going to pay for that.

Any comments, reviews etc are welcomed. Thanks for reading!