"I pray this means the darkspawn will finally return to the Deep Roads," Elissa muttered when four tired heroes finally trudged out of Drake's Fall.
"Seconded," Anders agreed, looking over as Abbie finally removed her blood-caked helmet. "Are you sure you didn't swallow any darkspawn blood?"
"For at least the third time, yes. I'm sure," Abbie replied, though she had an odd look. "Can you get the taint from a Warden?"
"I don't think so, or at least I've never heard of it happening," Elissa said, removing her own helmet as they reached their camp, finding it more or less as they'd left it, but it seemed the horses were long gone. "Disappointing, but not unexpected," she commented, and then turned back to Abbie. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, you know. Just a concern the word 'swallow' raised," Abbie replied airily. She winked at Anders.
"Say no more," the other woman snorted. Quickly shedding her armor, she headed off for a wash in a nearby stream.
"Please say no more," Justice added sourly.
"You know I'd never offend your delicate sensibilities, luv," Abbie teased, already stripping out of her armor, and she soon followed after the Commander.
For a time, both women were silent, contemplating their respective futures as they scrubbed away the dirt and muck.
"When did you know Alistair was the one?" Abbie asked softly.
Elissa raised an eyebrow, silent for a time as she considered her response. "You don't want to return to Kirkwall, do you?"
"What? Don't be ridiculous. What's not to love about Kirkwall? The chains are lovely, the massive buildings aren't the least bit oppressive or intimidating, and wending one's way through twisting maze-like streets with gates that might slam shut and trap you at a moment's notice is always a lark," Abbie replied lightly. "Anyway, what I want in this case doesn't matter, so there's no point in dwelling."
Elissa simply nodded, understanding all too well. "Well, I think I had a feeling when his first words to me, after he'd been completely denigrated by a Circle mage at Ostagar, were, 'You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together.' I can't quite match Alistair's sardonic wit, but he was such a breath of fresh air," she said with a goofy smile, remembering those early days. "He then followed that up by commenting on there being few female Grey Wardens and said that he wondered why. Most of the men I spoke with questioned my qualifications, but it seemed never to have occurred to him to think of women as less capable than men."
"You know, that may be the one thing I actually do prefer about Kirkwall," Abbie noted. "Still, he was snarky and saw you as an equal. That does sound like a winning combination."
"Oh, it was, and then he turned out to be sweet and bashful, and yet somehow charming, too," Elissa replied with a soft sigh. "That he was so handsome on top of everything else was just unfair."
Abbie grinned at that. "Oh, I know what you mean. It's funny, though. Substitute sexy and bold for sweet and bashful, and you could be talking about Anders."
"He does remind me a bit of Alistair on occasion," Elissa said. "Mostly when he's irritated about the Chantry, though they also share a gift for deflecting with humor. I've noticed you have a talent for it, yourself, though you don't always."
"Not always, no," Abbie agreed, going to dress. Quirking a grin, she added, "Only when it's suitably irritating to do so."
"Oh yes, you would get on quite well with my husband," Elissa said, rolling her eyes as she followed suit.
"Then do pass on my regards to the king," Abbie replied with an exaggerated flourish and a bow. "Do it just like that, too." She winked.
"Bow to him while half naked, you mean?" Elissa replied airily, flashing a lopsided grin.
Abbie laughed aloud. "Well sure, but you should do that, anyway!"
"So, I'm curious," Anders began, bored of waiting for the ladies to return.
"So I have noticed," Justice replied irritably.
"Kristoff was married, and you were even kind to his widow," Anders continued. "So why do you seem to find human relations distasteful?"
"I do not," Justice replied flatly. "What I find distasteful is your casual attitude toward such things."
"My attitude?" Anders scoffed. "What of Oghren's attitude? What of Abbie's?"
"Oghren is a foul man," Justice said at once. "Abigail is… complicated, but we had a conversation and I believe I understand her point of view."
"I might point out that she flirted with me first, but as you like her, it seems you want to cast me in the role of lecher," Anders accused. "As it happens, I like her, too. I wish, oh Maker, a lot of things – that she didn't have to leave or that she'd entertain a marriage proposal instead of laughing it off. Perhaps most of all, I wish I'd met her before I'd been conscripted. I've no doubt she'd have helped me without demanding a lifetime of service in return," he added bitterly.
"You asked her to marry you?" Justice asked slowly. "I was aware of no such thing."
"I… Well, not exactly. More like I put it out there as a possibility and she laughed it off. She said it was too soon, maybe, but I think she thought I was joking."
"Given how often you are, that seems a simple mistake," Justice pointed out. "But you do care for her."
"I do," Anders affirmed. "She's… everything I never dared to hope for."
"Perhaps Abigail was right when she called me a 'judgmental arsehole'," Justice sighed. "This world is so confusing; I do not know if I will ever grasp the complexity of you mortals. How am I meant to dispense justice if I am no longer certain of what that means?"
"On your own, you probably can't," Anders reasoned. "Seems to me, what you need is a friend whose judgment you trust as a guide until you do understand. The Warden-Commander is a good choice."
"She has been," Justice agreed. "Now that the crisis has passed, however, she will surely return to Denerim, and I doubt a rotting corpse would be tolerated at Court."
"A safe bet," Anders replied, his brows knitting. "I hadn't considered that she'd leave, too."
"Besides, Abigail has been more helpful than even the Commander," Justice continued on. "The other night, when we kept watch, she took the time to discuss things which I could not grasp. She spoke of context and nuance and explained that what seems just to one man might seem wholly unjust to another, and yet both may have valid cause for their beliefs. I… would follow her to Kirkwall, if only I could," he admitted.
"That makes two of us," Anders agreed. "It must have been quite a conversation, if that alone has you wanting to follow her across the Waking Sea."
"We spoke for the entire three hours she kept watch with me," Justice said. "She shared much about her experiences with the mages, both those within her own family and those she has aided, but she also explained that most people trust the Chantry implicitly, never questioning its teachings at all."
To say Anders was surprised to learn of this would be an understatement. "She told you all of that?"
"Yes. Why? Did she not tell you as well?" Justice wondered.
"No. No, I mean, yes, she did, but… well, she hadn't yet," Anders sighed, turning his gaze to the setting sun. Loath as he was to admit it, he could not deny the thoughts that were taking shape. The jealousy was, admittedly, stupid and petty, but the others were less petty, if still quite stupid. For those thoughts, he blamed Nathaniel, as it was the archer's stupid 'helpful' suggestions currently echoing about in his head. For life. For love. Perhaps together, you can do what they cannot do alone. If you gave instead of taking, I would consider you no demon.
What he was considering should be unthinkable, abominable as some would say, but he could not deny the appeal. He looked back, catching the spirit's cloudy eye, and could swear that Justice's thoughts mirrored his own. They held each other's gaze for what felt like a lifetime, but Anders finally opened his mouth, only to close it promptly as the ladies returned from their wash. Scrambling to his feet, he muttered, "I should get cleaned up, too," and all but ran off.
Wondering what that was about, Abbie considered going after him, but ultimately exhaustion won out. She all but collapsed on her bedroll, and was asleep almost before her eyes closed.
