Chapter 2: Old and New Friends
Back at the house they found Bethany and the other Grey Wardens in the hall, where Orana had served them ale and cold meats. Caitlin happily embraced her sister and then set to unpacking her presents, curious and impatient like a child. Anders smiled indulgently when he heard her shriek with delight at the sight of the delicacies he had assembled. And he had even remembered to buy some toys for Rhianna. Caitlin felt happy and loved and excited. It was nice to have visitors once more!
When Fenris arrived from the stables, he was glad Orana had taken the time to warn him of their visitors' arrival. The usually quiet room was bustling with life. Three dwarves were talking and drinking noisily at one end of the huge wooden table. At the other end, Caitlin was sitting with Bethany and Anders, her head thrown back as she was laughing at one of Anders' jokes. For the briefest of moments Fenris' hands clenched into fists as old feelings of jealousy assailed him. Then he shook off his dark thoughts and walked over to greet their guests with a friendly handshake. Anders' familiar smirk made him bristle inside, though. When the greetings were over, he put his hand around Caitlin's neck, wrapped his fingers into her hair and bowed down to kiss her roughly.
She smiled at the possessiveness of the gesture and turned her head so his hand moved along her jaw. Catching his eyes, she quickly bit his thumb pad. She heard the tiny answering hitch in his breathing and trembled briefly with pleasurable anticipation, remembering this morning's promise. Tonight he would make sure Caitlin knew who she belonged to.
When she turned back to Anders and noticed the faint ironic smile on his lips, she realized he had watched the whole exchange and missed nothing. He knew. Of course. He had always known when she was... in the mood. Caitlin blushed and cursed inwardly when his smile became wider, and she saw him open his mouth, no doubt intending to make some sarcastic remark. Quickly, she raised her hand, silencing him.
"Don't you think you should introduce your companions, Anders?"
He grinned, seeing through her motives, but complied and called the dwarves over to join them at their end of the table. Fenris slid down on the bench next to her, his hand giving her thigh a tiny squeeze.
Two of the dwarves were wearing silverite warden armour and carrying weapons. Anders put his arms around the female's shoulders, smiling down at her affectionately as he introduced her.
"This is Sigrun. She has been with the Wardens almost as long as I have now. We met her in the Deep Roads on one of our first trips there with the Warden Commander. She's a master at detecting traps and opening locks, aren't you, my dear?"
The tiny, perky woman grinned up at him from under her fringe of black hair. Her small and rather mousy face was covered in brands that marked her as casteless. She was carrying a fine axe and a dagger and her movements were quick and assured.
Caitlin smiled at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sigrun. You seem an able fighter."
Sigrun shrugged. "I used to be a member of the Legion of the Dead. We are warriors, already dead to our people. But no matter how hard I try I'm still alive. Funny how that keeps happening. And before that, I learned to fight for survival in the streets of Dust Town."
Caitlin nodded. She understood survival, ever since those first terrible years in Kirkwall.
"And you?" She turned to the second dwarf. He had fiery red hair and a braided beard and was carrying an impressive battleaxe, nearly his own size.
Anders grinned. "Meet the famous Oghren. Easy to recognize by the bad jokes and the smell. Oh, and the heavy suit of armour. He can't actually take it off, you know, or we'd all faint."
Oghren snorted. "Ha, Sparklefingers! At least I'm not wearing a skirt like you delicate mage freaks." He turned to Caitlin. "If you've ever heard of me before, it's probably all been about how I piss ale and murder little boys who look at me wrong."
Caitlin smiled, unperturbed by his blunt language. She had heard worse when she was in the army. "Plenty of ale for you here, my friend. No murdering, though, as long as you're in my house."
Oghren roared with laughter, but Anders shook his head, a disgusted expression on his face. "Really, Oghren! Why did you even want to be a Grey Warden? You thought it would make for great drinking stories? Sometimes I think you just got drunk and made a bet."
Bethany leaned over, placing a hand affectionately on the dwarf's shoulder. "Don't listen to them, Cait. Oghren likes to play the drunken imbecile, but he's a loyal friend. And once you've seen him fight, I promise you'll be impressed. He used to travel with the Hero of Ferelden during the Blight."
Caitlin looked at him with interest. "You knew the Hero? What was she like?"
Oghren shook his head. "She wasn't a hero, our Cat. Just a good friend. And far too young for what they made her do. A redhead like you, a mere slip of a girl, funny and sweet. Mind you, one hell of a fighter with sword and dagger. And nimble with a lock pick. There wasn't a treasure chest she couldn't open when she set her mind to it."
Caitlin raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Are you telling me that Catherine Cousland, daughter of the Teyrn of Highever, Slayer of the Archdemon, was a thief?"
Oghren guffawed. "The best in all of Ferelden, I'd wager. Aaaah, she and that assassin were the finest couple of rogues I've ever seen."
This was getting more interesting by the minute. Caitlin was intrigued. "That assassin? You mean Zevran?" She knew he had been with the Hero for a time. Isabela had mentioned it once at a friendly game of Diamondback, but Zevran had thrown her an icy stare that had shut her up immediately, and he had evaded all further questions about the topic. Caitlin had always been under the impression he and the Warden must have parted on bad terms.
Oghren looked up at her, a sly grin on his face. "Yeah, the Antivan. He taught her a thing or two, wasn't a bad fighter himself. They were always up to some mischief or other, well, whenever they weren't fighting or... you-know-what." He nudged her with his elbow and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, leaving no doubt as to the meaning of his words.
Caitlin was stunned for a moment. "Oh! You mean Zevran and the Warden were..."
Oghren laughed again. "Of course they were! Like cats in heat. Hardly a night where they didn't keep us all awake! Why she went for an elf I'll never..." He took a deep sip of ale, grumbling as his face grew more serious. "But he loved her, he did. Broke his heart when she died. He disappeared without so much as a glance at us."
Caitlin sat back, thoughts crowding her head. Of course. That explained so much. Zevran's air of sadness when he thought no one was watching, his vague remarks about old wounds. Her face softened as she thought of the pain he must have gone through.
Oghren's huge belch tore her out of her reverie. "It wasn't right," he grunted. "Alistair should have taken that blow, instead of playing the King of Ferelden now. She didn't deserve to die." To her surprise, Caitlin saw a tear glinting in his eye as he downed the rest of his ale.
Fenris had listened quietly all the while, his arm around her shoulders, his presence warm and reassuring. Now he raised an eyebrow at Anders. "So, what are you lot doing here? Just a social call?"
Anders smirked. "No, even though it is good to be here." He glanced over at Bethany's happy face, then he straightened, growing more serious. "The Warden Commander sent us. Apparently, scouts found a Deep Roads entrance somewhere on the far slopes of Sundermount, a few days' journey from here. No darkspawn sightings as of yet, but it needs to be resealed. That's where Dworkin comes in."
He gestured at the third dwarf who wore his blond hair and beard in a set of elaborate braids. Unlike the others, he was dressed in a simple leather tunic and was unarmed, but he carried a huge leather bag filled with strange tools.
"Dworkin Glavonak at your service, my lady," he bowed. His voice was oddly high-pitched, almost giggly. "They call me Dworkin the Mad. Bombs and grenades are my speciality."
Anders nodded. "Dworkin knows everything there is to know about explosives. He'll be able to close off the passage with a few well-placed bombs but we'll have to go down into the tunnels in order to find a suitable place."
Caitlin frowned. "Do you expect trouble? Four wardens are a lot for such a simple task."
Anders sighed deeply. Trust Cait to get straight to the point. She had always been perceptive. "We do. As a matter of fact, I'm here to ask you and Fenris whether you could join us. We could use two more sets of strong arms."
Caitlin pondered for a moment. "I would have to see about Rhi, but if you need us... I could probably ask Aveline and Donnic to stay here with her for a few weeks. Really, Anders, what is this about?"
He rubbed his eyes with his hand, suddenly looking weary. "Before we set out, Leonie... the Commander, had us check the Warden library for information on that part of the Deep Roads. There were... stories. It seems that there was a huge battle there a few hundred years ago, during one of the earlier Blights. An army of dwarves desperately defending a huge vein of lyrium against the darkspawn. The Veil must be very thin there."
Caitlin went quiet. She knew what that meant. Ghosts and skeletons, and lots of them, at the very least. Maybe worse. "The Deep Roads..." She sighed. "There must be a reason why I end up there every few years. Maybe some deep-seated need of mine."
Anders looked up, searching her face. "So you're coming?"
Caitlin exchanged a look with Fenris. "Rhi..." he said, his face showing apprehension. "She's only three. What if..."
Caitlin swallowed briefly, but she shook her head. "Aveline will look after her. A Deep Roads entrance near here... It's in our best interest to help sealing it." When Fenris nodded reluctantly, she turned to Anders. "You can count on us. We will need a few days to prepare, though. We can't leave the estate unprotected."
The rest of the day passed quickly. All of the wardens were eager to spar with the Champion of Kirkwall, and Fenris and Caitlin sent a silent thank you to the Maker that they had faithfully kept up their practice sessions. Even Oghren was impressed by the skill the two of them possessed with their huge greatswords and by the perfect harmony in which they fought. After a huge dinner and some pleasant conversation, everyone retired to their rooms.
When Caitlin came into their bedchamber, Fenris was already lying on the bed, naked under a thin linen sheet. His face was pensive. "So, we will be fighting again. Who will be in charge of our little enterprise, what do you think?"
Caitlin frowned at the thought as she was taking off her dress. "Well, Anders is the senior Warden."
Fenris raised an eyebrow. "And you are the Champion of Kirkwall."
"Retired now, for almost five years," she amended dryly.
"Well, you don't look old and doddery to me." His hands reached for her before she could put on her nightgown, and he pulled her roughly into the bed.
Caitlin laughed and straddled him, and he let his hands run down her back while he admired her body. She was no longer a young girl, but she was trim and taut from her daily exercise. Her breasts and hips were full and round, and he sighed contentedly as he cupped her bare bottom and pulled her against his burgeoning hardness. A few tiny scars on her belly were left over from her pregnancy, but she had larger scars all over her body from her fighting days. He lovingly traced one of them over her shoulder before he loosened her bun, caught a few strands of her dark red hair in his fingers and pulled her down into a kiss.
His hands got more insistent and he deepened the kiss, his mouth demanding and hungry on hers. She kissed him back, harder, and let her nails rake over his chest, almost drawing blood, making him hiss as the lyrium in his tattoos reacted.
They had discovered early on in their love-making that a tiny amount of pain mixed in with the pleasure would make his tattoos light up briefly, not like in battle when he was gripped by a fighting rage, but with a soft glow that caused a pleasurable tingling feeling along the lines. The effect was striking and never failed to excite Caitlin, so they had learnt to make use of it.
She was moaning at the sight of it now, of those intricate tracings on his muscular chest. He grabbed her with his strong arms, rolling over with her, pinning her down to the bed. Caitlin loved to feel his weight on top of her, loved the way his long legs entwined around hers, holding her down, willing her to stay quiet, while his lips began caressing her neck and her breasts. She pushed up against him impatiently, and he chuckled.
"What's the matter tonight, love?" he breathed against her neck. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"It was a long day," she sighed, pressing against him. "And I thought this evening would never end."
"Well, you were the one who wanted to hear all their stories of the Blight, my dear." Fenris sounded amused.
"Oh come on, you weren't any better." Caitlin pouted. "All the time you sat there talking to Anders as if he was your long-lost best friend."
"I was just trying to be polite. But tell me, weren't you glad to see him too?" Fenris' voice had taken on a curious quality, somewhere between playfulness and anger, alternating between jealousy and desire. She shivered as she pulled him into another kiss. His lips were hard, almost punishing.
"You're mine, Cait, never forget that." His hands were gliding all over her body now, rough and possessive, without his usual tenderness, yet she found that this aroused her more than the most subtle caress could have.
"Only yours, Fen, always," she gasped, biting down hard on his shoulder, to be rewarded by a brief shimmer of blue and a ragged groan from his lips.
"And yet," he growled, his hands now between her legs, pushing them apart, so that his body came to rest between them and she could feel his hard member at her core, "some part of you still wants him, admit it!"
There was enough truth in his words to make her tremble. "He is... attractive, yes. But Fen," she was shaking with need now and found it hard to concentrate on her answer. "I may... flirt with him and enjoy it but this... This is all yours. I want you. Please. Now."
Fenris groaned and pushed down, entering her and she met his movement, bringing them so close together that their bodies seemed to melt into each other. She held on to his shoulders so fast that it hardly left them room to move but they stayed like this for a long moment. Caitlin buried her face against his chest, holding on to the intensity of feeling him, being with him. When he pulled back and started to move inside her, she wrapped her legs around him and closed her eyes, focussing on the feel of their bodies, the new sensations whenever he changed the angle, the utter rightness of his body joined to hers, his skin on hers. Her climax started as a soft warm tingle long before he finally took her over the edge and she came screaming in his arms, pulsing around him, making him gasp and lose control.
"All yours," she sighed as he relaxed, his heavy body covering hers. She felt him smile as he touched his cheek to hers, letting his head rest on the pillow, and together they drifted off to sleep.
As usual, many many thanks to zevgirl for being the best beta ever. All remaining errors are of course entirely mine.
