The Forbidden Oasis. A joke, really. A little bit of water amongst waves of boiling, hot sand. But that wasn't the joke. No, that was the prize. A giant lurked in the waters, guarding the precious pool of the Inquisition's salvation. That was the joke. It hunkered amongst the refreshing waters, grunting as it trudged back and forth, sloshing the water around without a care in the world.
Kievon wasn't too happy the giant was hogging the waters. No, not one bit. A week of traveling through the hot desert had left him sunburnt, hot, sweaty, and rancid. His clothing needed washing, and he was pretty sure the swell of flies around him indicated just how badly he needed that water.
Iron Bull clicked click is lips, fists wrapped around the long handle of his double edged axe. His lone eye reflected a crazed look in his eye. "Me and the Chargers have faced a Giant before. Aim for the legs. They go down fast."
Kievon looked back to the members of his Inquisiton: Iron Bull, ready to charge and claim what land was is. They hadn't ventured all this way for nothing. Sera, looking half crazed and ready to take the giant all on her own, damn the odds. Vivenne ,who looked stoic and poised, even against the crisp heat in the air. How she didn't have flies flying around her was a mystery. Blackwall and Cassandra – looking weary but ready to stand against a giant. Solas, Cole, and Varric looked tired and not ready to take on a giant.
"Iron Bull, I do not think we are prepared to take down a giant," Dorian muttered, hunkered down next to Kievon, leaning heavily on his staff. The sun had done nothing but compliment Dorian's features – his skin was dark with a beautiful tan, his eyes shone despite the weariness apparent in his shoulders. Kievon thought back to the time when Dorian had explained he loved the warmer climates. They were his usual, and the Forbidden Oasis seemed to suit him… for the most part.
Dorian's mustache was unkempt and he had a beard starting to grow, and sweat was pouring down his face. Even a man like Dorian had his limits. The Forbidden Oasis was turning out to be one of them.
"Oh come on! There's nine of us and one of him!" Iron Bull protested, waving his giant hand at the giant. "It'll be me, Cassandra, and Blackwall who'll run in. Varric and Sera and the mages will distract him while I whack at his legs. Kievon and Cole can sneak around the back. The Chargers would know what to do!"
Kievon sighed, pulling his red hair back and tying it securely behind his head. "Iron Bull is right. We do as he says, and it should work out." He stood and pulled out his daggers. "Besides, I think we could all use a bath."
"We doin' this or not?" Sera cheered, yanking a flask from her belt. "I'll catch his attention, you lot go do what you do." She darted up a hill, slinging from rock to rock till she was just above the giant.
With a sigh, Varric shrugged Bianca from his shoulder. Grime covered his face and there was a tired look settled underneath his eyes. "Guess I gotta cover her once she realizes the giant, can, in fact, reach that point."
"Iron Bull?" Kievon asked, prepared to make a dart for it around the giant.
"On it!" Iron Bull ran at full speed, Cassandra and Blackwall on his heels, with his axe catching the sun's glint. "Sera! Now!"
Sera tossed her flask of bees at the giant's head, forcing it to look upwards with a furious roar and a fling of his long hairy arms, only to be shot with Bianca's arrows. Distracted by the arrows and the sudden onslaught of different magic from the mages, it charged with a roar toward them, only to be tripped with a swing from Iron Bull's gigantic axe.
The giant fell with a loud thump, landing on the ground but quickly recovering – the axe had only nicked it, after all. The giants were well known for their thick hide, but whack at a certain place long enough, and it would be finished.
Kievon ran with daggers drawn, Cole close at his heels. He jumped and landed on the back of the giant, hoping to decapitate it, but his daggers merely gave it a scratch. He rolled off the giant as the monster sat up and got to its feet, swiping its long arms and narrowly hitting everyone in the process.
"The left leg!" Iron Bull shouted. "We weaken the leg, it can't walk and defend itself!"
Despite the giant's size, it moved with ease. One swipe to the left, it caught Cassandra hard against her shield and sent her tumbling backwards. Blackwall swerved left and right, aiming for a leg, but the giant was quick on its feet, and lively as well. It jumped to and fro, trying to whack at the mages or knock Sera down from her high point on the ledge.
Kievon did a manner of slashing with his daggers, cursing when nothing happened. The Giant's hide was just too thick.
"Inquisitor!" he heard Dorian call too late; the Giant grabbed him tightly around the waist and lifted him, crushing his ribs.
He yelled, but all that came out was a gasp as the air was crushed from his lungs. A dash of cold air and magic sizzled all around the arm, freezing the arm firmly into position. Cassandra took off on a run, jumping from the Giant's leg, using it as leverage to force her way up to the arm. She lifted her sword and drove it with a firm rage through the ice, shattering it into oblivion.
Kievon dropped with a thud; Iron Bull stared blankly at Cassandra who had just de-limbed the monster, which Iron Bull had been trying to do all along.
"How did you do that?!" He grumbled, giving a final firm whack to the Giant, who tumbled against the pressure against his leg.
Cassandra merely shrugged; there was a fight to finish. She made her way to the Inquisitor's side and helped him stand. "Are you alright?"
"I'll live," Kievon grunted. "Let's finish this."
"Let's."
Together, the nine Inquisiton members used their skills to bring the Giant down. Once a Giant was on its knees, it was a quick fight. A few organized slashes to the throat, and it was dead within a minute.
Cassandra snorted in disgust when the monster was down, having crashed against the sand and soaking the golden sand to a deep red color.
"That solves that," Dorian sighed with an exhausted huff, poking the Giant with his staff. "I hope it was worth it."
"We can figure out what the Shards are meant for in that temple, but we don't have to do it right away," Kievon pointed out. "Let's have the soldiers move out the giant, and I suggest we take the night off. We have camp set up just over there – do what you must. Get yourself settled. We will be here for a couple of days, at least."
Sera cheered. "Ugh! Finally!"
Over the next couple of hours, the Inquisition made themselves comfortable at their temporary home. The Forbidden Oasis was their last stop before heading back to Skyhold: a place they've barely visited ever since Haven was destroyed. It had been the duty of the Inquisition to recruit and gain support, especially around Orlais, which they'd been doing for the past couple of weeks.
The enemy wouldn't stay quiet forever, and it was best to make sure Skyhold was prepared for anything. Adamant had proven one thing: the enemy was always on the move. They just needed to be ready. Josephine reported every now and then how Skyhold was improving, and Kievon was sure everyone was just as excited as him to be headed back.
It was nighttime when Kievon finally gathered a towel and his dwindling bath supplies. The ladies had claimed the Oasis as their own first, and they had just returned, smelling fresh and lovely as they usually were. He waited until the other men were finished, then left to have a quiet moment of his own.
Being on the road constantly made him a bit homesick for his clan. The Dalish were always traveling, stopping only for a couple weeks here and there. But Orlais was… different. Not someplace he was willing to get used to, at least. He missed the soothing forests of his homeland, the rivers, the birds, the wildlife…
The Oasis glowed in the moonlight, not a cloud in the sky to hinder the moon. Kievon climbed up to the point where the waterfall fell into a pool, the water just deep enough for him to dunk under. The night air was cool, but still warm enough for him to enjoy the cool, refreshing waters of the Oasis.
"Mind if I join you?" he heard Dorian say from down below.
Kievon looked to the younger man and smiled. "And here I thought I was able to find some alone time."
"I can leave, if you wish."
"No, actually. I would prefer your company, since we find so little time to get to know one another."
"Ah, great. Just hold on a minute while I found out how you climbed up there."
This was the first long trip Dorian had come on since Corypheus had made himself known at Haven and attacked with the templars – he had proved useful and helpful, more than willing to help the Inquisition in their cause.
Kievon was suddenly reminded of the letter Mother Giselle had brought him just before they had left on their trip – and how he kept meaning to bring it up to Dorian. He supposed now would be an appropriate time, since they were so far from Redcliffe and basically had all the time in the world to prepare for whatever it was Dorian's father wanted.
He just hoped Dorian wouldn't be mad at him for waiting so long to tell him.
"Here, take my hand," Kievon said, leaning down over the cliff and offering his hand. Dorian smirked and took hold, and let himself be helped up the steep side of the cliff.
"And I watched you climbed up. It looked so easy," Dorian said once he was up, dusting the dirt from his already dirty clothing.
"You were watching me, mm?"
"You're easy on the eyes, I must admit." Dorian slung his pack over his shoulder. "Now, let's bathe."
Together they walked to the edge of the water, setting their packs on the ground and pulling off their grimy pieces of clothing one by one.
Kievon gasped lightly in pain as he struggled to get his outer jacket off; the armor guards had come off with ease, but his ribs were absolutely killing him. The grip from the Giant had no doubt left bruises on his skin; he just hadn't taken the opportunity to look at it yet.
"Are you hurt?" Dorian inquired lightly, down to his smallclothes already, face concerned.
"When the Giant gripped me, he kind of squished my ribs." Kievon dropped his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. "Let's see how bad the damage is." He shrugged off his shirt and tossed it aside.
Dorian – having brought up a torch – lit it with a dose of magic and leaned in close to see the damage. "You're terribly bruised all throughout your stomach… and I could almost guarantee a broken rib or two."
"I'll bind them once I'm done washing," Kievon sighed. He unabashedly took off the rest of his clothing and took a step into the water. Once he felt the refreshing moisture against his feet, he couldn't resist anymore and darted it, his ribs protesting against the sudden movement.
"Inquisitor, rushing in like that won't do that body of yours any good," Dorian remarked. He set the torch aside and followed in after, discarding his smallclothes with ease. "Dear Maker. This is absolutely heavenly." He settled waist down in the water.
"Isn't it?" Kievon breathed, dunking his head under water and coming back up, a wicked grin on his face.
"I daresay this is the longest I've ever been without a bath!" Dorian sighed, leaning back against the water. "This wouldn't even be thinkable back home."
"Well, to celebrate…" Kievon sloshed back towards his pack and pulled out a bottle of wine. "Here. Orlesion wine. Not the best, by far, but one to get the mood going."
Dorian lifted an eyebrow, a slight smirk on his face. "And what mood are we trying to set?"
"Shall we find out?" Kievon took a long swig of the bottle and handed it to Dorian, who repeated the motion.
"Did you plan to drink this all by yourself? So we'd have to deal with a hungover Inquisitor in the morning?"
"Hah. Possibly. Though it's always better to do this in pairs."
"That it is."
Kievon smiled at Dorian, who's features were lit just by firelight and the moonlight. Kievon's heart was thudding and he was nervous; he hadn't flirted this obvious, well… since the time he had met his past husband. He hadn't told anyone about his husband; nay, he didn't feel the need to. It still hurt to think about him, much less bring it up.
No. It was best to think of the here and now, and now it was Dorian, a younger man than him, but still all the more enticing, suave, and attractive. Dorian hasn't directly outright said he liked men, but then again, neither had Keivon.
It was time to let it be known, but it had to work on its own time…
"Care for another drink?" Dorian asked, holding out the wine to him.
"You don't even have to ask."
"So, I have a question. What's it like, being the Inquisitor and having everyone ask after your every whim? Being waited on hand and foot?"
"Being from Tevintor and your noble family, wouldn't you know?"
"Yes, but I want to know it's the same."
"Well…" Kievon paused, biting his lip. "It's humbling. Who'd have thought people would've accepted a Dalish elf as their Inquisitor? It's quite a feat, and one I'm proud to serve."
"What about the ladies?"
"What? You mean like in the last village?"
"The one who wanted to bear your children?"
Kievon chuckled. "Saw that, did you? No, I let her know my heart lay elsewhere. Needless to say I broke her heart." He took a short swig of his wine and handed it back to Dorian.
Dorian drank, then set it aside to dunk his head in the water, then he reached to grab his soap from his pack. "I must say… Inquisitor… Kievon… I'm more than pleased you let me come with you."
"I'm pleased you decided to join us. It proves not all Tevintor mages are insane."
"Don't get your hopes up. Quite a many are, I'm afraid, and I can never get them to listen…" Dorian began to use the soap against his skin, scrubbing out the grime and the dirt from the past few days.
Kievon decided to do the same, first with his hair which was greasier than he had cared to admit. He preferred to keep it shaved to one side, and decided he should give himself a haircut once he was in front of a mirror.
He noticed Dorian rubbing the new growth of beard on his face. "Is it annoying?"
"What?"
"The hair on your face. Elves aren't able to grow beards… and I'm wondering if it's annoying to have."
"Oh, it can be. I prefer the mustache, though it's seen better days." Dorian twirled the end of his mustache between his fingers.
Kievon resisted the urge about mentioning that he wanted to touch it. Maybe some other time, or maybe never. He scrubbed the soap harder through his hair, trying to get the thoughts between him and Dorian out of his head, then stood with the intention to rinse it out underneath the water fall.
Dorian was younger than him, maybe not by much, but… Kievon felt strange about feeling attracted to him. It had been a couple of years since he had felt attraction to, well, anyone… and here was this new man in his life. The flirtation made everything obvious but Kievon was just… almost not ready for something new. But he still wanted it. And it made him frustrated.
Dorian had made his way to stand by him underneath the waterfall, rinsing out the soap in his hair. Standing directly next to him, Kievon realized he was a whole head shorter than him. Creators, was he really that short?
Lavender hit the air. "You smell really good," Kievon commented, rubbing the last of the soap from his hair.
"Really? I wasn't too sure of the scent…" Dorian looked down at him, brown eyes twinkling. He leaned down slightly. "Inquisitor. You missed a spot. Did you know you've been traveling around with this massive brown spec on your forehead?"
"I have?" Kievon's heart thudded at their closeness and lack of clothing, and prayed to the gods his body wouldn't betray him.
Dorian used his thumb to wipe away the spec, paused, then trailed his hand down the side of Kievon's face. "Inquisitor, I…"
Kievon thanked the gods the sky was dark enough in order to hide his blushing face. What was it about Dorian that made him feel young again? Like he was some sprung teenager ready to take the world? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, leaning into Dorian's hand. "It's okay, Dorian."
At that moment the taller man seemed stricken, conflicted between the feeling of desire and remorse, as if he would be rejected. "I haven't met a man like you before, Kievon, I want you to know…"
With nervous, shaking hands, Kievon touched the side of Dorian's face, running his hands through the ends of his mustache. "I was wondering when I would be able to hold your face in my hands. What if our flirting was merely that: flirting, and nothing more? It's become harder to deny what I feel for you, Dorian. I need to know if what I feel isn't just… an act. I need to know."
"Then let me show you," Dorian murmured, and leaned down, pressing his lips firmly against Kievon's.
At first, it was a sweet kiss, slow and steady, but it delved into something deeper of unkempt desire. Dorian pushed Kievon against the back of the rocks of the waterfall, the falling water hiding them from view. He ran his hands down Kievon's body, holding him close as if it were painful to let him go. Kievon opened his mouth and let their tongues explore each other; he felt the hard press of Dorian's excitement against his stomach and knew this was a long time coming.
They broke their kiss, taking deep breaths and letting the water caress their bodies as the water trailed down.
Kievon grinned. "We haven't even drank half the bottle."
"Can't blame the wine then, can we?" Dorian pressed his lips against Kievon's neck, pressing kisses and using his tongue to caress his skin in small circles. Kievon clenched Dorian's arms as Dorian's hands trailed downwards and grasped his buttocks, rocking him ever closer to the hardness of his body.
It had been years since Kievon's heart had thudded so; years since the spark of romance has lifted his very heart. A few months ago, he would have never thought he was going to get over his past love, but here was Dorian, ready to change his heart at almost a moment's notice.
He ran his hands through Dorian's hair and up and down his back, his body curving towards Dorian's own, his mouth once again meeting Dorian's. He pushed against the taller man and underneath the roar of the waterfall, he kissed him with such ferocity and desperation that he hadn't felt in so long, breathing in the deep scent of lavender he loved so.
It was a sudden slip that made Dorian break the kiss and he fell backwards in the water, unintentionally pulling Kievon along with him. Together they dunked under the water and spluttered water once they reemerged.
"The water's a bit deeper at this part," Dorian said, struggling to get a footing in the chest deep water.
Kievon couldn't even touch the ground with his feet. "That was a bit sudden, wasn't it?"
Noticing Kievon was having a hard time grasping a footing, Dorian wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer to higher ground. "I hope not too sudden, Inquisitor, for I would like to do it again." Dorian said.
" I think I can grant that request," Kievon smiled lightly. Once they were in the shallow depths of the water, the torch having dimmed and leaving only the moonlight as guidance, he ran his hands down the chest of the taller man, letting his hands follow the curves of the man in front of him. The sudden cold air and water had calmed their bodies, bringing their current state more into focus.
"You're a beautiful man, Dorian. Has anyone ever told you that?" he asked quietly, finally ending up taking Dorian's hand in his.
"Oh, yes, countless times, though it doesn't take much to convince me." Dorian lifted Kievon's hands and planted a small kiss across his knuckles. "I take it we're done playing for the night?"
"I think, it's best for both of us if we take this slow," Kievon said. "I don't just want your body, Dorian, I want you – your opinions, your thoughts, your worries. I want to see what's underneath your armor. Because it's not just your pretty face I'm falling for." Kievon placed a hand over Dorian's heart, feeling the quick thud against his fingertips. "It's the man inside, as well."
"I'm afraid I don't… quite know how to do that." Dorian shuffled his feet and looked away. "Don't get me wrong, Inquisitor. I like you, I really do. I like everything you stand for, and the fact that you have a handsome face is all the more better."
"Then let me teach you," Kievon said. "In fact, let us teach each other." He stood on his toes and planted a kiss on Dorian's lips.
Dorian returned his kiss with passion and broke it suddenly. "If you keep kissing me, it's going to be harder to resist you."
Pulling away, Kievon gave a slight reassuring shrug. "Then I guess we have something to look forward to?" He moved to gather his belongings, slipping on the long nightshirt he had brought up.
"Don't forget to bind your ribs," Dorian reminded him in a light voice.
"I won't. Are you coming down?" Kievon eyed Dorian, who was standing knee deep in the water, his naked body gleaming in the moonlight, hands on hips, with water droplets caressing his firm muscles.
Dorian motioned for him to go. "I fear if I go down with you, I may just follow you to your tent. Off you go, Inquisitor. You've given me things to think about."
There was something different about Dorian's face. He looked… calm. Peaceful, with eyes shining with delight. Almost like… almost like it was love. Could it be love? Kievon didn't know. It had been years since he'd last felt it. "Good night, Dorian."
"Good night, Inquisitor."
With the moon high in the starry sky, the Inquisitor made his way back down to the tents, back to his average life of saving the world, repairing rifts and finding and returning gods-know-what to gods-know-who. But there was something new to look forward to, and that thought made him all the more determined to succeed as Inquisitor.
He thought of the letter Mother Giselle had mentioned, then pushed the thought aside. That could come later. For now, he was content at knowing Dorian was there for him, and he would do anything to prove to Dorian they could make it work. It had to.
The scent of lavender lingered on his lips as he slipped away, ready to be Inquisitor again.