Slightly revised, Let me know if something needs fixed or seems out of place..

...~*~...

"Anders, please don't. You know my heart belongs to Zevran." Meryn said softly as he looked into the face of the man before him. Meryn was in a foul mood and had been wandering the silent halls of Vigil's Keep that night when Anders found him and managed to corner him in a dimly lit alcove.

Anders reached up and gently traced one of the many tattoos that adorned Meryn's face. "What are you afraid of Meryn? I know where your heart lies, but that shouldn't stop us from enjoying each others company, should it? " He took a tiny step forward pressing himself against the elf and inhaled deeply. The young mage smelled of liquid lyrium and ozone with the barest hints of elfroot. Anders found the scent intoxicating as he leaned down and pressed their lips together. He tasted of Orlesian wine with subtle hints of lyrium.

He could feel the young mage hesitate against him before he felt the elf's hands reach up and grab the front of his robes. Anders hands snaked around the elf pulling him tight against him as his tongue slid over Meryn's lips requesting access. At first he didn't think the boy would relent, but soon a small sigh escaped the elf as his lips parted. A soft groan escaped Anders as he explored the young elf's mouth.

The kiss held for only a moment before Anders broke away and his tongue began tracing the black lines down the boy's chin and throat. The elf tilted his head back as his eyes fluttered closed.

"Anders." He whispered in a soft moan...

...

Anders gave a loud and very annoyed groan as a loud knock woke him from his dreams. He crawled out of bed and went over to the door. "Who in the void is it?" He yelled as his hand rested on the bolt.

"It's Nathaniel, open the damn door."

"What do you want Nathaniel?" He asked as he pulled the metal bolt back and swung the door open before turning back toward the bed.

"You have a letter Anders, with the commanders seal. What are you doing sleeping in the commander's room? He would kill you if he knew you were in here." Nathaniel said as he stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

Anders stopped dead in his tracks and spun around, his eyes now wide and fully wake. "From the commander? Are you sure?"

"Yes" He held out the letter then snatched it away before Anders could take it. "But you didn't answer MY question."

"It's the only place in the keep the Templar's wont follow or bother me. Bolt here doesn't like them and won't let them anywhere near the commander's room. " He nodded toward the opposite side of the bed where both the mabari and pounce were curled up together. "Unfortunately it means sharing a bed with the slobbering beast, but hen gets along well enough with pounce so I deal with it.. Now the letter?" He held out his hand and Nate gave him the letter.

"How did you know I was here, anyway?"

"The scowling Templar at breakfast told me you were hiding in here."

Anders snorted. "You know if the commander hadn't left the circle wouldn't have been so quick to send those templars to watch me."

"It's not the commander's fault, you are the one that escaped five times from the circle."

"Seven."

"Five, seven, whatever. Can you blame them for wanting to catch you doing something stupid like oh I don't know, running AGAIN."

Anders snorted again as he turned his back to the rogue as he broke the seal and began reading, the letter was short mainly saying that Amaranthine was top priority and must be rebuilt so trade could flow in and out of Ferelden, and the money would come from the arlings coffers. He skimmed the part about the farms and the taxes, those parts did not interest him at all, it was the bottom of the letter that had caught his eye.

"You have to read this Nate, your mentioned." The bottom part of the letter he tore off and balled into his hand before handing the letter back to Nathaniel who had a curious look on his face. Anders grinned.

"personal business, don't worry your pretty little head over it."

Nathaniel gave a disapproving grunt toward Anders and began reading the letter. "I'm the new commander? Oh THAT will go over well, I wonder how many Antivan crows they will send for MY head." He gave a slightly amused chuckle.

"They wouldn't bother, a few dwarven mercenaries would be sufficient for you." Anders smirked.

"Oh thanks. Your vote of confidence warms my heart Anders."

"Is that all it warms, Nate?" Anders said as he tilted his head to the side and batted his eyelashes.

"You're hopeless Anders, utterly hopeless."

Anders laughed as he sat back down on the bed. "You will give in one of these days Nate, mark my words."

"Not in your wildest dreams Anders."

Anders smiled. "You are a good candidate for it, better then the rest us anyway. I guess that means I can't stay in this room anymore though since it will be yours, shame. Maybe I can talk Bolt into guarding my room instead."

Nathaniel chuckled. "Get your lazy ass out of bed it's almost midday." He said before turning and leaving Anders alone once again.

"Hey Bolt! Wake up you lazy drooling no good pile of hair." The dog growled as he raised his head.

"Yeah yeah, don't look at me like that, Meryn wrote us." He reached out and scratched the dogs massive head. "He wants you to go see him, would you like that?"

The dog gave a loud bark making Anders flinch and the cat which was curled up against the dog jump off the bed and run full speed across the room into the privy. "Not in the ear! Problem is how we are going to get you there. If I understand him correctly, hes in Antiva and that is no short journey."

He and the commander had argued the night he disappeared, mostly about Meryn's attitude toward life and his self destructive path. Anders had watched the young elf fall into an uncontrollable spiral straight into a pit of bitterness and anger. It started with the Crow assassination attempt, and got worse after the time they spent in the clutches of the architect. Anders shuddered at the memories of that horrid week in those tunnels as the architect toyed with his mind, twisting and poisoning his thoughts and memories like some sort of play thing before allowing them to 'escape'.

He shuddered and forced this line of thinking back into the far reaches of his mind as he looked down at the ripped parchment in his hand again and began reading it to the dog. He wasn't sure if mabari's were truly smart enough to understand an entire letter, but he read it anyway.

'Anders I have a favor to ask of you though I do not know how you will manage, nor do I think I truly deserve it. You remember our argument that night I left? If you do I ask that you send Bolt if you can find a way. There is a small chest in one of my armoirs that nobody knows about, use it and keep whats left over.'

'I am sorry I left how I did and with the words I spoke hanging between the two of us. You did not deserve my anger. Although I do not deserve such kindness, I ask your forgiveness. You are a wonderful man and a true friend and for that I thank you.

By the way have you managed to charm the armor off of Oghren yet? I once heard while staying in Orzammar that if you can get past the smell and keep from vomiting, drunken angry dwarven sex is amazing. I never quite managed to get up enough courage to try, let me know how it goes.'

Anders blanched at the last part as his face twisted into a rather sour expression. Bolt gave a bark, jumped off the bed and began running and jumping in large circles around the room. Anders watched in surprised amusement, it was the most live he had seen Bolt since the night Meryn had left.

Anders shook his head and smiled as he looked silently at the paper again. At least Meryn seemed to be his old self again and that was all he could hope for, though a small part of him had hoped the young mage would have failed and returned to the keep tired and broken. It would have given Anders an excuse to care and comfort him at the very least.

He crossed the room and checked each of the commanders armoirs. On the bottom of one he did indeed find a box carved in the shape of a golden chest. He opened it and found a small fortune in gold sovereigns and gems. Most of the gems were of medium quality but they would fetch a fair price in the right places. Anders had to laugh as he noticed most of them were green, not quite the same color as Meryn's eyes but close enough. He had never met a man so vain in his life.

Anders closed the box and wrapped it carefully in one of Meryn's many robes. "So Bolt, how do we get you to Antiva? I am not sure I could take you myself." Anders face twisted as he cocked his head to one side as if hearing a noise only he could hear. "I know, shut up." he mumbled to himself and shaking his head violently from side to side. He sighed annoyingly toward some internal voice before a very wet and large tongue decided to give his face a bath. "UGH GROSS BOLT!" He yelled and stood pushing the dog away. "That is DISGUSTING!"

a week later as the wardens of vigils keep woke to the screams of a servant who had literally stumbled over the mutilated corpses of three dead templars, Anders and Bolt were sailing on a ship headed to Kirkwall.

"We will get you to Antiva, I know some mages in Kirkwall who have been dieing to take a vacation. One of them can take you, I promise." His eyes suddenly flickered with a blue light, and then disappeared just as quickly. He patted the dogs head who gave an approving bark. "yeah don't read to much into it dog, I'm still a cat person."

Bolt gave a little whine and nudged Anders hand. "I know I will miss pounce too. But he's being taken care of." Another little whoof and Bolt trotted off to explore the ship leaving Anders at the railing staring out into the open sea deep in thought.