Somwhere in Antiva
Aeryn Hawke shivered. Well the front of her shivered but her back end, her back and the other parts of her body were being slowly massaged by the slow and steady thrum of healing magic.
"Maker's Breath Anders, you are good at this." She purred.
"You need to take things more slowly my love." Ander murmured in response, the disapproval clear.
"Anders, we are in the middle of nowhere traveling to the Tevinter Imperium, I don't think I can afford to," she hissed as his magic scraped across her, "take it easy."
"Well," He said, "Not easy, just easier."
Aeryn hissed and was about to respond but was lost in a brief wave of eccstacy as the magic had found just the right spot down her back. It was strangely exhilarating.
"A fine distinction," She said finally.
She felt his smile behind her. And she relaxed herself. Just enjoy it…just relax. And so she did. Her muscles unclenched and she closed her eyes just letting the magic work…its magic.
Her body murmured, enjoying itself, getting lost in the present, and the past. Her voice joined its murmurs, doing so happily.
It has been a while since I've been able to relax…especially with him…forgetting the war, the world, the stress, my important place seemingly in the world. I wish I could just stay like this forever, find a regular job, but it seems I am good at this sort of thing.
Anders hissed behind her. "Aeryn."
"Sorry," She felt her muscles had become tense again.
The healing magic went back to rolling across her. After a short time, he was done.
"There," he said, the magic abruptly stopped, and her muscles clenched, "I have done about all I can do for you now."
"Awww." She said putting the proper mix of disappointment and sarcasm into her words.
When he did not respond she turned to look back at him. He was leaning against the back of the tent cradling a bottle of Lyrium and sipping from it as if it was some vintage brandy imported direct from Antiva. Topping up?
Anders smiled when he noticed her looking and patted the ground next to him. She took the invitation and maneuvered to sit next to him allowing his arms to go around her and pull her in close. His arms felt familiar, safe, she felt familiar, and safe. Again getting lost in old times like this was not a murderer of an old lady and a bunch of young sisters.
Focus Aeryn, just enjoy the moment, hopefully we can cure him.
At the thought of curing him she looked up at him, and he looked down. They stared at each other. It was hard to think of him as needing to be cured. He wasn't sick.
Just Possessed.
She shivered.
After all the warnings she had heard from her father, overhearing him talk to Bethany about her gift, she had fallen for a man who was possessed by a spirt form another world. She was his and he was hers. And he didn't usually look like one of the abominations of old, all twisted and mangled, he didn't act evil except for the obvious. When he was Anders he was kind and gentle, just and passionate, cautious but yet determined.
Yet, there was something rolling through him that could turn him into something very different. And yet Justice was now as part of him and his personality as vice versa.
It must be hell for him in there, Maker help him.
And now they were heading to the Tevinter Imperium, the heart of the most evil land to ever walk Thedas. So the Chantry taught them. A land ruled by mages. A land steeped in old magic. A land who had probably forgotten more about magic then any people in history. Certainly any human people. There were powerful people in that world. Powerful secrets. She had sometimes wondered if they hunted for old relics about the past, like the Dalish, like Merrill.
All I can ask is that one of those secrets sets him free. She murmured to herself lazily stroking his chest as she started to feel over so sleepy. A hard day's work, a hard day's ride, and a hard day's stress had been quite draining for her. All she could ask was to fall asleep in the arms of the man she loved.
Then, her Mabari growled.
Aeryn's head snapped up as she looked up trying to see through the closed slit of the tent and into the forest beyond.
"Ha!" A voice called. "A quaint little tent all alone in the night. What could possibly go wrong?"
"I don't know," another voice murmured, "looks pretty small."
"Better hall then we've had in two weeks." A third voice groused.
Anders and Aeryn looked at each other, his hand already searching blindly for his staff pattering the ground.
"Bandits." Aeryn mouthed.
Anders nodded his affirmative to the suggestion.
Fortunately for them the bandits, despite their confidence, were apparently being cautious of their potential victims. They aren't stupid. Which was actually working at their advantage for a change.
They scrambled to get ready Anders's preparations were simple as all he needed was his staff and he stared out at the darkness beyond the tent. Her preparations were a lot more comprehensive. She needed to quench her armor and snapped it on pulling it through, the tan leather shining in the light from the tent. She scooped up her bow and her quiver in the same motion and placed the quiver around her back, already drawing an arrow.
Anders held the flap open as they both dove on through.
"Ha! See there are only two of them! Make it easy for yourself and we might-"
He never got finished as Aeryn loosed her suddenly flaming arrow straight through the guy's flimsy leather protection.
The rest of the bandits called out a warning as they rushed and dove to the side, and then cautiously started to advance on the two of them, weapons drawn, murder in their eyes.
Her Mabari got free of its restraints and flew into the mass of men, into its flank, picking out one man in particular and mauling him with a flurry of bites and slashes, tearing out his throat in the process. The man howled and protested his death throws. "Get it off! Get it off!"
His protests didn't last long.
Anders's staff flashed.
"Look out they have a mage!" One of the bandits called out. "We're no Templars!"
"Its just one mage, they can't take us all out, even they get tired eventually!" Another bandit called out boldly but with an uncertain edge coloring his voice.
"Don't count on it!" Anders challenged.
He bought a great lightning storm to hand. The bolts flashed and crackled through the group striking through several of them, rolling and stunning them, blind and stupid, their bodies freezing as the lightning took their will from them. It also lit the advancing forces clearly. Giving Aeryn a shot.
She pulled her string back nocking an arrow as she went. Cleanly and efficiently she mowed through the three men ahead of them who were stunned. An easy shot at such short range, and with them frozen in place. Her arrows cut through them killing them quickly.
Before she was even done she already brought another arrow to string, her eyes sweeping the forest for targets. A shape rustled through the leaves and charged her position. She aimed, and fired, her arrow striking through the targets foot perfectly pinning him.
He tried to wrench his foot free, twitching his foot, and trying to get it free. Instantly another arrow went to her bow and she aimed down at it. The man was clearly young.
But somehow he managed to get his foot free, a gut wrenching tear split the air. He looked up at her satisfied, but grimacing.
"Don't do it son." She pleaded.
The man didn't listen, he flexed his Warhammer and charged, more limping at her.
Aeryn put him down, the arrow flying, blazing with a fiery trail, right through the man's breastplate and his heart, killing him instantly.
She glanced through the forest again, scanning her surroundings. Is that all of them?
A bolt whistled out of the darkness slamming into the dirt just in front of her feet. I guess not. Another bolt followed it but she back flipped out of the way, quickly seeing where her target was.
Before her backflip even completed she was already working her arms, they went to her quiver when she landed, and instinctually, from a hundred different arrows she fired, she picked up the target and loosed yet another flaming missile. It slammed into the target's head jolting it back, snapping it, and the man fell in a heap.
It took her a few more minutes before she was fully confident that their enemy was fully vanquished, and they were appreciatively safe.
The silence was beginning to become oppressive between them, the Dog even stopped growling and started panting. The only noise to break up the tension.
"Well, that was exhilarating." Anders spoke suddenly, splitting the air and silence with humor.
She smirked, and the adrenaline began to bleed off of her. She suddenly felt cold, she groaned out as her body began reacting to the lack of Adrenaline. She ached all over.
"Aeryn?" Anders was by her side in a second, holding her.
"You're right…I need to take it easier. I think I ache all over."
Anders sighed, "I feel…weak myself. That battle took a lot out of me. It's been a while since I flexed my…own muscles like that."
"There is more than one way to work out stress, Anders." She purred at him.
He instantly reacted to the suggestion becoming quite animated himself. His lips clung to hers, probing, hot passion breathing over and into her. She moaned as her tongue shot into his mouth, gratefully, eagerly.
He grunted as the tent flap flew open behind him and he pushed her, not roughly, into the room leaving her flat on her back.
She licked her lips as he advanced boldly, crawling into the tent, moving to mount her. Her back arched in passion as she was waiting for him to take her in a manly fashion. Doing her best to hold on.
The mage became more enflamed quickly and expertly stripping her of her armor. And then working on the buttons of her traveling clothes as he slowly peeled her clothes back. Finally revealing her underclothes, her chest heaving underneath them. He gave her a look and then moved to kiss her some more.
Aeryn swooned.
"You will not distract him!"
"Anders?" Her eyes blinked open.
And it was no longer Anders towering above her. The telltale blue white lines had burst through the skin, the telling smoke rising from his skin. Justice had returned.
"Justice!"
"You are a disease Hawke, he is needed to free mages, and instead he chases your tail like a love sick puppy."
A million charming retorts raced through her head but before she could utter a single one his hands went around her neck. He picked her head up and then slammed it back into the ground, her vision blurring. But before she could continue to protest his fingers pressed into her flesh, digging into her throat. Trying to drain the life from her.
And it was working. She could feel herself let go, the breath coming out in slower and slower wheezes. She coughed and spluttered. Her fingers were dancing and struggling began to lose their animation becoming stiller and stiller. But moving ever closer to her hip.
Aeryn Hawke with what remained of her strength and breath pounced on the opportunity pulling the Rogue's dagger from its sheath, and slashing it across Anders's arm in the process.
Justice howled in rage and leapt back, giving her room to maneuver.
She spun back getting into a half crouch bringing the knife up in a reverse grip so she could slash it across him if he made any move against her, and she almost pulled it back and buried it hilt deep into his head anyways out of self protection.
But Anders was back.
"No don't Aeryn, it's me!"
"Anders?" She asked still uncertain.
"Yes my love," He collapsed against the tent's wall and started wailing, whacking the side of the tent enraged at himself.
Aeryn frowned at him, and sighed, beginning to redress herself. And moving to sit next to her boyfriend. But still kept her distance, and she kept her knife loose.
Just in case something happened.