Maggie had never thought she would see Anders again. He'd been in solitary, punishment for another escape attempt when Duncan recruited her and Ella, and he'd escaped again before she'd returned to the Tower after Uldred's rebellion.
She'd hoped he was still alive, somewhere, happy and free, but she hadn't dared to speak of him. Ella had loved him too and Ella, she felt things so deeply, gave her affections so freely. Maggie hadn't had the heart to cause her more pain. Not after all they'd suffered and lost .
So finding him frying a few darkspawn in the middle of Vigil's Keep was more than a surprise. Ella reacted first, flinging herself at him with a joyous smile. "Anders!"
He turned, eyes wide, and caught her instinctively. "Oof. Hello. Oh! It's you! And you!" His eyes flicked between them, his mouth—a mouth Maggie had many fond memories of—curving into a wide grin. Ella had no patience, something that always surprised anyone who knew the three of them, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for an enthusiastic kiss.
Mhairi coughed, darting an awkward glance at Maggie. "I thought the two of you were…" she trailed off delicately and Maggie chuckled, patting her on the arm.
"We are. But we were with him too, before we lost him." Mhairi looked shocked and Maggie grinned before stepping forward to claim a kiss of her own. The tragedy that had befallen the Keep needed to be dealt with, but they'd earned the right to one small moment to celebrate each others' existence.
And, maybe this time, they'd all get to keep each other afterwards.