Looking back, Anders couldn't help but think that it was as if everything happened in slow motion.
The fight itself hadn't been anything out of the ordinary, nothing more than some raiders who made the mistake of attacking the wrong armed group leaving Kirkwall. He and Sebastian had pulled away, attacking from a distance, while Hawke threw himself directly into the fray—flames and daggers flashing fairly equally, a deadly combination of magic and blades—and Fenris, as usual, tried to keep him from getting skewered.
And then it had all gone wrong.
Anders had seen it, had known what was happening a moment before it did, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. Fenris's attention had been focused entirely on a large raider who kept trying to push past him to get to Hawke. He hadn't even noticed the smaller rogue that had appeared out of nowhere a few feet away from him.
The rogue's gaze flickered to the steep embankment that Fenris kept edging closer and closer towards before moving back to the elf. And it had been right then that Anders knew what the man was about to do.
Anders didn't like the elf, and he damn well knew that Fenris felt the same about him. As long as they were both with Hawke, though, they trusted each other to watch the other's back. It was a silent agreement that they had made when they'd first started working together several years earlier, and it had work well for them so far. Anders would be damned if he was the one who broke that tentative truce between them.
"Fenris, look out!"
Except his warning came too late. Even as the words left his lips, the rogue flung himself at Fenris and shoved. Fenris's eyes went wide with surprise, his sword dropping from his hands as he flailed for a moment before going over the edge.
Lightning crackled from Anders's staff, flickering over his hands as he flung his magic in the rogue's direction. It was purely automatic. The rogue let out a scream, as did the bulky raider Fenris had been fighting, both of them collapsing to the ground a moment later.
"Fenris!" Hawke's voice sounded panicked as he flung himself toward the embankment, his gaze focused on the river below them. Sebastian was a few steps behind him, a grim look on his face as if he was already preparing himself for the worst even as his hands fumbled to remove his armor.
Anders took a quick look around, making certain that no one remained standing other than the three of them. Then he rushed to the edge as well, his hands moving to unbutton his coat almost of their own accord.
The river was higher than usual, heavy rains the past few weeks obviously feeding into it and making the current more dangerous. Anders had no idea how strong a swimmer Fenris was, or if the elf could even swim at all. The topic had never came up. There wasn't much time, though, he knew that much. It was almost Wintermarch, and the temperature outside had been holding steady at "ridiculously cold" for the past few weeks. The water had to be frigid.
Depending on how cold it was, just a minute or two in it might be too long for Fenris. And they might not be friends, but they were at least companions. If there was anything Anders could do to help, he had to try. Even though he had no idea regarding Fenris's swimming ability, Anders knew very well that Hawke was a weak swimmer under the best of circumstances. And with his armor on, Sebastian would sink like a stone, and it would take too long for him to remove it even though he was clearly doing his best to do so.
Which left one option.
"Take these," Anders said brusquely, shoving his coat and staff into Hawke's arms. He knelt down, hurriedly pulling off his boots.
"What are you doing?" Sebastian asked, furrowing his brow. His hands stopped fumbling with the fasteners on his armor.
Hawke didn't ask. He didn't need to. After three years, he knew Anders well enough to know exactly what he had planned, which should have been terrifying but somehow ended up being comforting.
"Are you out of your mind?" Hawke asked, his eyes going wide. "You can't—"
Anders shot him a cocky grin that he was certain didn't actually make it all the way to his eyes. "Look for us downstream."
And then, in one smooth motion, he took a deep breath and dove over the edge of the embankment toward the river below.
Above him, he heard Hawke yell his name, and Sebastian let out a series of very creative curses that Anders honestly hadn't known the Chantry brother had in him. Then he hit the water, and for a moment or two all thoughts in his head ground to a halt.
It was freezing. Even colder than he'd been expecting. Justice stirred in the back of his head, a whisper of worry that Anders quickly dispelled with a rush of magic that warmed his body from the inside out. Just like that, the cold became less oppressive, and he was able to push himself upward to take in a gulp of air.
He couldn't keep the spell going for long. Anders could practically feel it eating up his mana, even faster than the last time he'd used it during his second-to-the last escape from the Circle, the one that had ended with—
Anders quickly shoved that thought to the back of his mind and instead focused his attention on finding Fenris as quickly as possible. The current was strong, but it wasn't quite as bad as he'd been expecting. It was steadily pulling him downriver, but it wasn't strong enough to actually pull him underwater.
His eyes darted up to the embankment that he'd dived off of, mentally doing the calculations as to where Fenris would have hit the water. Then he took a deep breath and dove back under.
He kept his eyes open, despite the cold, desperately looking for any sign of Fenris. He would be shocked if the elf wasn't glowing, unless he was unconscious and Anders didn't want to think about what that would mean. If nothing else, he hoped that would make Fenris more visible. While he had a fair idea as to the general area that Fenris should be in, it was impossible to know exactly where he might be.
Come on, he thought, turning his head desperately from side to side. It was impossible to see anything other than murky shapes in the water. He has to be somewhere.
There was a twinge in the back of his mind, a quiet sigh that he didn't think had come from him. And, just like that, he heard the all-too-familiar sound of lyrium singing coming from nearby.
Nearby, but below him.
Swearing to himself, Anders dove downward in the direction he could hear the song coming from. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stay under much longer—that he needed to get more air, that the cold was starting to get to him, that his mana wasn't going to last much longer, that everything he was doing just then was absolutely insane even by his standards—but he could tell that he was close. And if he needed air, that meant Fenris was probably already past that point.
No matter what else he was, Anders was a healer. He'd never forgive himself if he didn't at least try to do something. A moment or two could make all the difference.
He fumbled in the dark, reaching out and grasping for something. Anything. But his hands kept moving smoothly through the water without ever touching anything solid.
Anders could feel his lungs starting to burn and the familiar ache behind his eyes that meant his mana was reaching its limits. Just as he was getting ready to give in to the inevitable and go back up for air, Anders' hand hit something. Something firm and still and decidedly elf-shaped. That echoed with the fading sound of lyrium's song.
He'd found him.
Eyes widening, Anders fumbled for a moment, trying to get his arms around Fenris. He managed to get his arms wrapped loosely around his chest, enough to hold him but still give himself room to maneuver. Kicking his legs, he propelled both of them toward the surface.
His lungs felt as if they were on fire, and he couldn't help but notice that Fenris was a deadweight in his arms. He couldn't even tell if the elf was still conscious. A rush of panic spurred him forward just a bit faster, and it almost surprised him when his head broke the surface. He took in a few large gulps of air before shifting, trying to get a good look at Fenris now that they weren't underwater.
Fenris started coughing and gasping for air.
If anyone asked, Anders would swear to his dying breath that his entire body didn't flood with relief at the sound. He didn't say a word, merely keeping his arms wrapped firmly around Fenris's chest as he treaded water and tried to keep them both from sinking back under.
After a minute or so, Fenris turned his head slightly in Anders's direction. Anders could tell the moment that Fenris became aware enough to notice who it was that was helping him. His body stiffened in surprise, his eyes widening.
"Mage."
Anders wasn't surprised to hear his teeth chattering, and he quickly sent out a pulse of magic. It wasn't much, just enough to help raise both of their body temperatures a little, and he hoped it wouldn't irritate Fenris's markings. An angry elf was the last thing he needed right now.
"Expecting someone else?" he asked lightly.
Fenris frowned at him and made a noise that might have been an acknowledgement. "Always."
Anders rolled his eyes but held his tongue. It was neither the time nor the place, and the healer in him couldn't help but be a bit worried by the way Fenris's words were slurring together. He shifted slightly, tightening his grip on Fenris. "Can you swim at all?"
He wasn't entirely certain what he'd expected from Fenris. A glare. A snapped reply of "yes" or "no". Utter silence. He definitely hadn't predicted that the elf would look away, an almost embarrassed look on his face, before quietly answering. "Some." Then Fenris paused for a moment. "Not very well," he added in a reluctant tone.
Anders nodded, too surprised by how easily Fenris had admitted that he wasn't a strong swimmer to comment. He let his gaze drift toward the shore with a frown. "It's going to be mostly on me then."
He shifted, loosening his grip around Fenris's chest to see if he could move into a better position. Almost instantly, he felt Fenris begin to slide out of his grip and back under the water. His arms and legs weren't moving even a little.
"Maker's fucking balls," Anders cursed, frantically grabbing for Fenris again before he could completely sink back under the water. He almost swallowed a mouthful of icy water in the process, and he barely avoided going into a coughing fit as he did his best to spit it back out. "Shit, shit, shit. Andraste's flaming knickers."
Fenris finally started kicking his legs. It wasn't much, but it at least was enough to give Anders a little bit of help when it came to keeping the blasted elf from drowning.
He didn't apologize, not that Anders had been expecting it. Actions spoke louder than words, though, so the fact that he was purposely making an effort to keep himself above the water helped soothe at least a little of Anders's annoyance. At least until they could get out of the water.
It was funny how the thought of drowning put things in perspective.
"Oh yes, this is going to be fun," Anders grumbled under his breath, shifting again but this time keeping his arms firmly wrapped around Fenris's chest. Then, slowly and carefully, he started swimming in the direction of the river's bank.
It was slow going, not that Anders had expected anything else.
Fenris was unusually silent. If it wasn't for the feeble kicks of his legs, barely enough to even count as remotely helpful, Anders would have assumed that he'd passed out.
They were over halfway to the bank before Fenris finally said anything. "Do not use your magic on me," he said, his words slurred with cold.
Anders didn't roll his eyes. It took effort, but he managed to resist the urge. He did, however, let out an unamused snort.
"What is so amusing?" Fenris asked.
Anders didn't answer. He didn't see the point, not when all it would do was make the situation worse.
He should have known Fenris wouldn't leave it at that.
"I asked a question, mage," Fenris repeated, his voice a little harder. "What is so amusing?"
Maybe it was cold getting to him. Maybe it was the headache that was steadily building. Maybe it was the way that Fenris practically spat out the word "mage," as if it he didn't even want to dirty his mouth by saying it. Whatever the cause, Anders felt the tiny remnants of his tolerance crumble.
"I've been using my magic on both of us this entire time," Anders snapped, his patience worn thin. He could feel exhaustion pressing behind his eyes, the last shaky tendrils of his mana burning away much too quickly. "That's the only reason we're almost to the bank and not frozen corpses sunk to the bottom of the river."
Fenris stiffened, his weak attempts at helping with the swim stopping instantly. If Anders hadn't been expecting it, they both would have probably ended up getting another dunk under the water. As it was, he tightened his grip on Fenris just in time.
"Stop using your magic," Fenris all but growled at him. Or, at least, Anders thought that's what he said. The words were so slurred together that it was hard to make it out.
Anders scowled. "Fine," he said. "Wish granted."
He focused for a moment, pulling his magic back so that it was only warming himself and not Fenris. Not that it was doing all that much warming by then.
For a moment, there wasn't a reaction. Then Fenris's entire body went rigid, a hiss of pain escaping his lips as—Anders assumed—the cold hit him. Of course, he didn't say anything. Maker knew the elf wouldn't say anything. And better men than Anders would have just left it at that.
But, despite everything, Anders was still a healer.
Without saying a word, Anders let his magic flow over both of them again. Fenris relaxed slightly, just enough to let him know that the spell was working.
"Any more complaints about my magic?" Anders asked, not even trying to hide the bitterness in his voice.
Fenris made a disgruntled noise. "Once we make it to shore, you will stop."
Anders couldn't hold back the slightly hysterical laugh that bubbled up at that. "Don't worry about that," he spat out. "I've already used up most of my mana trying to keep your grumpy ass alive. I'm sure I won't even have enough left to use on me by the time we make it to shore."
There was silence for a long moment, and Anders focused his attention on getting them both out of the water as quickly as possible. The shore was getting closer, slowly by surely. The sky was darkening overhead, though, and Anders knew damn well that they needed to find shelter before full on night hit.
"I apologize." The words sounded stilted, as if Fenris couldn't quite believe that he was saying them. Considering Anders was surprised to be hearing them, he supposed that was fair enough. "You—" There was pause. "—most likely saved my life."
Fenris's tone of voice wasn't particularly grateful, considering Anders had just risked his life to save the damn bastard. Just the fact that he'd said the words was… significant, though. Despite what people seemed to think sometimes, Anders wasn't a complete fool.
"Sebastian was planning to jump in after you too," Anders said, pointedly keeping his voice light. "I'm just faster at getting out of my clothes."
To his complete and utter surprise, Fenris chuckled. It wasn't that he'd never heard Fenris laugh before; it didn't happen all that often, but it wasn't completely unheard of. Anders had just never expected to be the cause of it, all things considered.
Fenris didn't say anything else, the conversation clearly dropped, so Anders stayed silent as well. Instead, he focused on moving diagonally with the current, letting it push him downstream even as he moved in the direction of the shoreline.
And then, just as the last of his magic was disappearing, they were there.
Anders shoved Fenris up onto the shore first, groaning at the effort. Fenris wasn't a complete deadweight, but it was close. Once the elf was safely out of the water, Anders pulled himself up onto the bank as well.
He rested there on his back for a long moment, trying to catch his breath. The sky had darkened significantly, only a hint of the sun still visible on the horizon. It was going to be dark soon, and they were going to freeze if they didn't find shelter. Not to mention some heat. Reluctantly, he pushed himself back up into a sitting position.
Then Anders glanced over at Fenris. His eyes were closed, the movement of his chest shallower than it should be.
A rush of adrenaline tore through Anders's body, and he all but threw himself at Fenris. He grabbed Fenris by the arm, pulling him up into a sitting position and shaking him firmly.
Fenris's eyes shot open.
"Stay awake, damn you," Anders hissed, not even trying to keep the worry out of his voice.
Fenris blinked a few times, a dazed look on his face. Anders couldn't even tell if he'd heard him.
Biting his lip, Anders reached out and placed his hand on the side of Fenris's face. His mana was all but gone, nothing but a few vague tendrils of it left, but years of healing had taught him how to dig deep. He reached down and scraped at those last tiny hints of his magic, forcing them into his hand and then onward into Fenris.
It wasn't much, but it was still heat. Every little bit had to help.
"Fenris, you need to keep your eyes open," Anders said, a bit more urgently than he'd intended.
Fenris leaned into his touch, his eyes drifting shut again.
Anders felt a jolt of worry. "Fenris!"
There wasn't a response.
Silently sending up a prayer that he wasn't about to end up with a fist in his chest, Anders brought his hand up and slapped Fenris across the face.
Fenris's eyes shot open, more awareness in them than before. Also, anger. There was quite a bit of anger. To Anders's surprise, though, it faded quickly and was replaced with something that looked surprisingly like understanding.
"I am awake, mage," Fenris snapped at him, his words so slurred that Anders could barely understand them. His eyes widened in surprise, as if he had heard the weakness in his own voice and hadn't expected it, and he cleared his throat. "Do not hit me again."
"It worked, didn't it?" Anders shot back. The words were purely automatic, a result of years of carefully honing his ability to be a smartass.
Usually, any conversation he had with Fenris would have an undercurrent of bitterness to it. Anders was too exhausted to bother just at the moment.
Shaking his head, Anders pulled his hand away from Fenris's face so that he could shove himself to his feet. His limbs felt as if they had weights attached to them.
Fenris watched him warily.
Doing his best to resist the urge to roll his eyes, mainly because he wasn't entirely certain what it would do for his balance, Anders reached down and offered Fenris his hand.
Fenris stared at it as if it was a poisonous snake.
Anders let out an irritated sound. "Come on," he barked. "We need to find shelter."
For a moment or two, Anders honestly thought that Fenris was going to keep resisting. Then, with a growl, he reached out and grabbed Anders's hand.
Anders braced himself and yanked, pulling Fenris to his feet in one swift motion.
As soon he was standing, Fenris let go of Anders's hand as if it was burning him. And immediately almost went tumbling right back to the ground.
Instinct took over as Anders lunged at Fenris, grabbing him before he could fall. He ducked, pulling one of Fenris's arms up over his shoulder before wrapping his free arm around him. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but it would keep them both on their feet. That's what was important, for the time being.
And considering Anders was starting to feel the cold pretty noticeably himself, he had a feeling that both of them staying on their feet was vital.
"Can you do your stubborn posturing act later?" Anders asked, grimacing as a full body shiver hit him. "Preferably after we're out of the open?"
Fenris stared at him for a long moment, an unreadable look on his face. Anders didn't have a clue what was running through his head. Then Fenris's breath caught, as if he'd just realized something. What that something was, Anders had no idea.
Anders raised an eyebrow. "Well?" he asked. "Are you going to behave?"
There wasn't any argument. No scoff or annoyed huff. Nothing that Anders had expected as a response. Fenris merely gave an almost meek nod. "Yes."
Another flash of concern rushed through Anders. While a part of him was relieved that Fenris wasn't making this any more difficult than it already was, it worried him somewhat at how accommodating the elf was being. Not to mention it made him feel somewhat off-balance. He wasn't exactly used to the two of them having anything that even remotely resembled a civil conversation.
Still, he kept his worries to himself and merely started walked. Fenris's steps were heavy and awkward, shivers wracking his body, and Anders was supporting most of his weight. They needed to find shelter. Quickly.
"Why don't you use your magic?" Fenris asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
Anders let out a bark of laughter, more out of annoyance than any actual humor. "Now you want me to use my magic," he muttered, shaking his head. "Typical. Bloody typical."
Beside him, Fenris frowned. If Anders didn't know any better, he'd say there was a hint of confusion on his face. "It would be preferable to freezing."
Anders let out a brittle laugh. "We already covered this during our lovely swim, remember?" he snapped, turning his head so that he could glare at Fenris. "I used most of my mana to keep us from turning into icicles while we were still in the water."
Beside him, Fenris stilled for a moment, an unreadable expression flashing across his face. "My apologies," he said, his voice almost hesitant. Anders wasn't certain he'd ever heard that particular tone come out of Fenris's mouth before. "I do not remember the conversation."
It shouldn't have been surprising, not really. Anders was a healer. He knew that severe cold could cause memory loss. If anything, it would be surprising if Fenris didn't have at least a gap or two in his recent memories. Still, despite all of that, he hadn't seen it coming.
It worried him a little, that he hadn't seen it coming. That implied that maybe he wasn't thinking quite as clearly either.
Anders bit his lip. "How much time are you missing?" he asked quietly.
Fenris looked away from him, obviously attempting to avoid his gaze. Not that it was that easy to do, what with the two of them practically wrapped around each other. He didn't answer.
Frowning, Anders studied him more closely. As close as they two of them were to each other, he hadn't actually looked at Fenris—really looked at him—since they'd left the river's edge. Fenris's lips were blue, his skin an unhealthy shade of grey. He was still shivering, but Anders couldn't help but think that they weren't as severe as they'd been just a little while earlier.
Even if he hadn't been a healer, Anders would have known that wasn't a good sign.
Anders tightened his grip on Fenris. "It's important, Fenris," he said, more insistently this time. Knowing how much he had lost would give him an idea as to how serious it was. There wasn't a lot he could do, all things considered, but still. Knowledge was power.
"Most of the swim," Fenris said, more than a little reluctance in his voice as he finally turned his gaze back toward Anders.
It took some effort, but Anders was careful not to let too much emotion show on his face. He hadn't expected the gap in Fenris's memory to be quite that longer. It was more than a little worrying.
"Why?" Fenris asked suddenly.
Anders frowned, trying to parse the question. His own teeth were starting to chatter fairly loudly now that his mana was gone, the warmth spell he'd been using to keep the worst of the cold at bay faded away. Why was it important? Something else entirely? "Why what?"
Fenris's hands clenched into fists. "Why did you jump in the water after me?" he asked, and the utter confusion in his voice made Anders feel a little sick. "Why didn't you simply leave me to drown?"
For a long moment, Anders didn't reply. He couldn't reply. He and Fenris had never even remotely gotten along, but he hadn't realized—
"Do you really think that little of me?" Anders asked, not even trying to hide the hurt in his voice.
Beside him, Fenris stayed silent.
Anders didn't bother saying anything either, instead focusing on putting one foot ahead of the other. He had a vague idea of where they were, and he knew there were some rocky hills not too far ahead. They weren't technically part of the Vimmarks, and they probably didn't have any actual caves, but they should at least have some outcroppings that would get them out of the wind.
Fenris's steps were becoming clumsier as he leaned more and more on Anders. He wasn't all that heavy, relatively speaking, but between that, the cold, and the utter exhaustion that always resulted from draining his mana so thoroughly, Anders could feel himself starting to stagger.
"Damn it," Anders muttered, pulling them both to a stop so that he could lean against a nearby tree. "I'm starting to think you're getting your kicks from making me drag your ass around like this."
It didn't surprise him all that much when Fenris didn't reply, but it did worry him.
Fenris's eyes were open, but they were glazed with either cold or pain. Or possibly both. His breathing was shallow, only the occasional shiver wracking his body.
And the healer in Anders kept pointing out that he wasn't all that far behind Fenris.
They needed shelter, and they needed it soon.
Anders took a deep breath, the cold air almost burning his lungs. The moons were starting to rise, stars appearing like pinpricks of light around them.
"Come on, let's keep moving," he said, speaking more to himself than to Fenris.
Fenris made an indistinct noise. It might have been agreement. It might have been meant to tell him to go to the Void. Either was a possibility, all things considered.
Anders pulled away from the tree that he'd been leaning against, wavering for a long moment as he almost lost his balance. Then he pushed forward.
Looking back, Anders couldn't help but think he might have lost a little bit of time himself. It felt as if he blinked and found himself standing in front of a rock face. There was a pang of worry deep in the back of his mind, one that he didn't think came entirely from himself, and Anders quickly shook his head to clear it.
There was a small outcropping in the rock within sight, and Anders moved towards it as quickly as he could. It wasn't much, but it would be enough for now. Especially since, beside him, Fenris was almost completely unresponsive.
"Don't you dare die on me now," Anders muttered, lowering Fenris to the ground. He was still breathing, but his shivers had all but stopped.
Anders sent a tentative probe at his magic. He hadn't expected his mana to regenerate much, not with how cold he was and how much he had drained it, but there was a little there.
Before he tried to do any healing, though, they needed a fire.
It took longer than it should have to gather enough wood, considering the tree line was so close to them. Anders's balance was starting to go off, though, enough that he kept stumbling every time he leaned over to grab more sticks. Still, he managed it. That was the important part.
Fire had always been easy for him. It barely took any mana to create a spark. As the wood he'd gathered slowly started to burn, he sent up a silent prayer of thanks just in case anyone happened to be listening. He pulled off his shirt and trousers with trembling hands, leaving him only in his smalls as he laid them out beside the fire. Not so close as to get caught up in the flames, but enough that the warmth would hopefully dry them out a little.
Then he turned his attention toward Fenris.
It was harder than it should have been to think, but the heat was slowly starting to help. Shaking his head, Anders knelt down beside Fenris and carefully started removing his armor.
Fenris didn't stir, which was telling when it came to how bad off he was.
Anders's hands felt clumsy, but he managed to remove the stiff leathers and lay them out beside his own clothes. They wouldn't dry as easily nor as quickly, considering the difference in material, but he expected it would go a long ways toward helping keep Fenris from trying to kill him when he woke up.
That taken care of, Anders took a closer look at Fenris. He had been wearing thin garments underneath his armor, but they were soaked through. As a healer, Anders knew that the best action would be to remove them, but…
He chewed on his lip for a moment, thinking. Then, before he could talk himself out of it—or, more importantly, before Justice could talk him out of it—Anders put his hands on Fenris's chest and shoved a wave of magic through him.
Fenris's lyrium brands lit up like the sun, and Fenris grunted with pain even though he was still clearly insensate. The magic only lasted for a heartbeat or two, though, before it faded away.
Anders swayed a little, his body and his head both protesting loudly the fact that he'd just drained his mana again when it had only just been starting to come back. Then he reached out and put a hand on Fenris's bare arm; his skin was still somewhat cool, but not dangerously so. He let his fingers drift onto the shirt that Fenris was wearing. It was still somewhat damp, but not enough that it needed to be removed as long as the fire was going.
He could at least allow Fenris that slight vestige of privacy.
Shaking his head, Anders started to push himself to his feet. He barely managed to make it a foot off the ground before his ass was firmly planted back on it, though. "Or maybe not."
It took some effort, but Anders managed to scoot somewhat closer to the fire. The air around them still felt cool against his bare skin, and even though he knew it probably wasn't the smartest move he placed his hands on top of his own wet clothes and tentatively tried to push out another wave of his warming spell.
The world went grey for a moment.
When he came back to himself, Anders was sprawled out on top of his clothes beside the fire. They were mostly dry, at least, although he wasn't entirely certain if it was because of magic or because he'd passed out long enough for them to dry on their own.
He hoped it was the former. Sadly, he suspected it might be the latter.
Anders felt a brush of concern at the back of his mind, and he smiled despite himself. "I'm fine, Justice," he said. He knew that he didn't actually have to say the words out loud, but it helped sometimes. "Don't worry."
Fenris.
Anders's eyes widened, and he spun around. Fenris was still resting in the same position as before, although his chest was moving up and down more steadily. His color was better as well, but Anders thought he still looked a little pale. It was difficult to tell, though, between Fenris's naturally darker coloring and the poor light.
Still, they were both alive. That was the important thing.
He just hoped Fenris would wake up soon so he could get a better sense at how he was doing.
It took a little more effort than he would have liked, but Anders managed to pull his trousers and shirt back on. He glanced up at the sky, trying to guess as to how much time had passed based on the shifting positions of the moons and stars, but he'd been disoriented enough earlier that it didn't do much good.
A drop of cold water dripped from his hair onto his back, sending a shiver down his spine.
Biting back a curse or two, Anders reached up and pulled out his hair tie. He leaned forward a bit and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to squeeze as much of the remaining water out of it as possible.
The fire crackled, drawing Anders's attention to it. He'd need to gather more wood soon, if he wanted to keep it going all night. Unless his mana had come back enough to—
Anders tentatively probed at his magic, feeling it out. There was a little mana there, he could tell that, but how much?
Behind him, Fenris made a strangled sound.
Anders spun around, and he couldn't hold back his sigh of relief when he saw Fenris blinking owlishly at him.
"Thank the Maker, you're awake," Anders said, not even trying to hide the relief in his voice. He slid a little closer to that he could reach his hand out to rest on Fenris's forehead. "I was starting to get worried."
His skin felt almost normal under Anders's touch, if perhaps still a bit cool. Anders couldn't be sure how much of that was Fenris, though, and how much was the fact that his own body temperature was just starting to even out.
Fenris glared at him. It was probably a little sad that the sight of it made Anders want to smile.
Not that he did. He wasn't suicidal.
"I was just trying to make certain you were doing better," Anders said with an over-exaggerated eye roll.
"Clearly I am," Fenris shot back, pushing himself up into a sitting position. The words came out a bit shakily, but there was enough of a bite to them to let Anders know that he was obviously doing better.
Anders opened his mouth to snap back a cheeky reply, ready to put things between them back at the status quo. Then Fenris shivered. It wasn't much, not compared to earlier, but it was enough to make Anders close his mouth without saying anything.
He saw Fenris start to frown, but he ignored it. Instead, he turned his attention back to the fire, held out his hand, and pushed.
There was a voice in the back of his head yelling that he was being an idiot, and Anders honestly couldn't tell if it was his own mind or Justice. Maybe it was both.
The flames shot higher in the air as the fire burned hotter, but it didn't consume the wood any faster. Anders had picked up the trick during one of his early escapes, and if he'd had more mana then it could have lasted the entire night. As it was, he doubted it would last an hour. If even that.
Anders turned his attention back to Fenris, who was staring at him with a carefully blank look on his face. He let the corners of his mouth curl up into a tired grin.
And then he felt himself start to fall forward.
Fenris's hand darted out to rest on his chest, keeping him from hitting the ground. Anders blinked in surprise a few times before meeting Fenris's gaze. Then he gave him a nod of gratitude.
There was a long pause. And then Fenris cautiously nodded back.
It was a start.