Welcome to the new story, everyone! I don't expect this one to be overly long, but we'll see where it takes us. Since school has finally ended for me (Thank the Maker!), I should be able to have daily updates on this until it is finished...unless it is really long. If there's going to be a break, I'll let you guys know. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing as always. Hope you enjoy!
"And there I was, face to face with the most ruthless band of dog lords you've ever seen! There must have been at least twenty of them, each with a Mabari by his side just waiting to attack. A lesser man would have been scared, but not me," Archer Hawke said with a smile. He paused to take a swig from his pint, and then he slammed it back down on the long wooden table in the center of Varric's room at the Hanged Man. "No, I'm fearless, you see. So I just drew my sword, laughed, and said, 'I'm the motherfucking Champion of Kirkwall.'"
"Oh, then what happened?" Merrill asked, elbows on the table and hands cupping her chin.
"Then they came for me, sending the dogs out first. You all know how much it pains me to go after the animals, but it was self-defense. Anyway, I took them out as they came for me. Often two at a time. But don't let that make it sound like it was easy; no, I had men all over me and dogs at my feet. Luckily my years of training served me well and my armor held up, so I was able to get out of there without so much as a single scratch. It was a brilliant blood bath, and, in the end, I was the only one standing."
"Perhaps it's best not to travel alone at night, Hawke," Fenris suggested.
"Blame this guy," Hawke said, pointing his thumb over at his lover to his right.
"I was working at the clinic; I didn't ask you to come get me," Anders said as he rolled his eyes.
"Well I was worried; you said you were going to be home hours before that," the dark-haired warrior said as he placed his hand gently on the blonde's thigh. "Besides, I was horny."
"And this is where I shall leave you," Sebastian said with a nearly inaudible grumble as he got up from his seat.
Hawke chuckled and gathered himself as well. "We should all go, really. Some of us have a very early morning tomorrow. Isabela, Anders and I will be here to get you at first light, and the three of us will go get Merrill. Then we're off to the Dalish camp."
Everyone agreed with a nod, and they all got up to leave the dimly lit room after saying their goodbyes. Fenris, Aveline, and Sebastian went off towards Hightown, but Hawke and Anders stayed behind in Lowtown to walk Merrill back to her modest home in the Alienage. The warrior's encounter with the dog lords the previous night was not an isolated incident; it seems that the moon-lit streets were becoming more and more of a danger as time went on, and traveling in a group was the only way to survive the danger. That is unless you're me,/i Hawke thought with a smile. iNo one…nothing can attempt to harm me and survive. I'm rutheless, powerful, and afraid of absolutely nothing.
After dropping off Merrill, the two lovers took their time walking back to their estate in Hightown. It was a quiet evening; nothing but crickets and a gentle breeze to break the silence. The seasons had changed, and Kirkwall was finally getting colder; something Hawke had been waiting for with great anticipation. He had always loved the weather back in Ferelden, and, even after all these years in the Free Marches, he hadn't gotten use to the heat. Anders was clearly a bit chilled, and he crossed his arms across his chest. The other man saw, and, with a smile, he wrapped one large arm around his lover and pulled him close.
The mage smiled and leaned his head against Hawke. "So really how many were there?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You said that there were twenty dog lords," Anders said. "And that each one had a dog with him."
"That means that there were twenty men and twenty dogs. Really Anders, didn't they teach you math back in the Circle? Or were they too busy oppressing you?"
"Oh, shut up," the blonde said with a chuckle. "It's just that you always tend to exaggerate your stories, and I was wondering how many there really were. Especially considering that when you told me this story originally, there were only fifteen men."
"Maybe ten," Hawke said quietly.
Anders pushed him away and laughed. "Really what is it with you, Archie? Why do you feel the need to do that? You do it about everything."
"Name one other thing."
The mage held out one of his hands and started counting on his fingers. "The time you said you ate your body weight in bronto meat, but it was really just eighteen ounces. Or the time when you got a scratch from a drake, but you told everyone that you needed eighty-four stitches. Or the time that you said you saved an entire orphanage from a fire, and you really just helped a single orphan put out some wild flames. Or the time that yo-"
"I said one other thing."
Anders stopped walking as they made it to the steps just a few meters away from their front door. Hawke stopped with him, and they could barely make out each other's features in the low light of the new moon. "There's no need to exaggerate about everything, Love. You said it yourself – you're the motherfucking Champion of Kirkwall. Everyone knows about the things that you have done, and no one thinks that you're anything less than amazing."
"I just want the stories about me to portray me as they should – as a complete and total badarse. It sounds a lot better when I'm fighting twenty guys and their dogs. People should know that I'm afraid of nothing and can handle any situation."
"Well, I think we all know that, Love," Anders said with a warm smile. "And you're my hero at the very least. Now let's go inside before I freeze to death."
"I think I know of a way to warm you up."
The mage rolled his eyes and opened up the large wooden door to the estate, and they both walked inside. The fire burning in the main room was blazing, and the warmth touched every corner of the entry hall the first few rooms on the first floor as the men walked inside. Hawke was giddy as he took the stairs two by two, excited of the prospect of spending the night with his lover like this. The previous few nights had been spent either alone in his bed here or sleeping on one of the cots back at Anders' clinic just so he could be close to the man who he loved. Not a day went by where he questioned if the mage loved him or wanted to spend time with him, but their time apart was harshly eating away at his spirit. Both of them were tired from the day, and they needed to be up early if they were going to make it to Merrill's old clan's camp within a reasonable amount of time. But this was an increasingly rare opportunity which Hawke wasn't about to let pass him by.
Anders followed him up the stairs and watched him disappear into their bedchamber. He really had felt bad about how much time they had been spending apart, and he was happy to have a night with him. He knew they would need to make it quick though, and he was just about to open his mouth to remind his lover of this when his back was slammed against the wall, Hawke on top of him.
The warrior planted a rough nip against the pulse of his neck. "I need this like I need air, Anders. And that's no exaggeration."