Chapter 9 - Risks and Rewards

Ashley sighed deeply, cursing the mess she'd got herself into. She hated feeling out of her depth, and she hated every form of dishonesty. Yet here she was, trying to wheedle Sebastian into helping them break into the Chantry vaults. Because Shepard had asked her to, ordered her to, really, and no matter how much she liked Sebastian, she knew this was their only chance, knew she had to get him to cooperate somehow.

"Would you do it for me?" She tried to make her voice sultry as she looked up at him, attempting to sound promising and coy at the same time.

"No." His mouth had set into a thin line. "I won't. Save yourself the trouble."

Ashley ground her teeth in frustration. They had become friendly in the past few weeks. No, they had become friends. He had been so patient, helping her with her bow, and they had spent hours together in the Chantry or its gardens, talking, sharing their thoughts on the universe, their faith, their beliefs. She was by no means unaffected by his looks or his charm, but she could respect his life choices, or so she told herself. And now she was more or less offering herself as payment for his support. No idea why Shepard thinks this will work.

Yet she'd promised she would try. "So there's no way I can tempt you?"

He sighed. "Look, this is a huge risk to take, and it's not something I'm comfortable with. I'll think about it, and I'll pray about it, and tomorrow I'll come by and let Hawke know my decision. But you making eyes at me won't change a thing."

She was blushing furiously now, and he took pity on her. "Please leave, Ashley. I need time to think."


Steve woke to find his left arm had gone numb, the tingling sensation irritating enough that he risked waking Anders by pulling it out from under the mage's lean, lanky body. Anders didn't seem bothered by it. He was sound asleep, his golden hair tousled, his long blond lashes fluttering against the pale skin of his gaunt cheeks. Lord knows, he needs some rest. The shadows under Anders' eyes were deep enough to look almost purple. The sensible thing would have been to have an early night, instead of being at it like rabbits once again.

Not that he was complaining. Anders was an incredibly skilled lover, both with and without the addition of certain magical tricks, completely free of any inhibitions, utterly shameless and insatiable. And he was blessed with an impressive amount of stamina, thanks to this taint he kept referring to. But what really made him special was his devotion, the way he abandoned himself so completely to Steve's caresses, holding nothing back, offering all of himself. It was almost scary sometimes.

He was so lost in thought that he nearly missed the moment when Anders' deep, regular breaths changed their rhythm as he woke. Now he found the mage's warm, brown eyes fixed on him with an expression of sheer tenderness.

"Steve." A wide smile curved his lips upwards, and a spark of something else appeared in those eyes. "Good morning."

He couldn't help but smile back. Anders happy and relaxed was a sight few people could resist, especially knowing they were the source of his happiness. "Good morning."

Anders stretched with a long, contented yawn. "Maker, I feel sore."

With a lazy flick of his hands, he cast a quick spell, sighing with relief as the magic sparked along both their bodies, leaving Steve feeling refreshed and more than a little horny. "That's better. Now come here."

Steve frowned. "Are you sure that's wise? Shouldn't you save your magic and get some sleep?"

The mage's smile got wider. "So you're an expert on magic now? Don't worry. There's always lyrium, and Hawke keeps up a steady supply. I can keep going a lot longer than this."

His expression was definitely suggestive now, his gaze hot on Steve's skin. "I wish I could wake up like this with you for the rest of our lives."

Steve stiffened, little alarm bells going off in his head. "Anders, you know we can't-"

"Shhhh." Anders was on him in a flash, lips hungry and demanding, eyes almost feverish. "I don't want to hear it. Let me dream."

Steve rolled his eyes, but he let him proceed, unable to resist that hot mouth. One day you'll have to listen, Anders. But right now, it was only too easy to let himself get distracted by more agreeable pursuits.


Sebastian knew where Elthina kept the keys to the Vault. The Grand Cleric trusted him implicitly, which only made him feel worse about what he was doing now. Yet he owed Hawke, and he understood this was the only way for Shepard and his companions to return home.

And it was not as if the lock on Elthina's door presented much of a challenge. He had picked more complicated locks at the age of fifteen, back in Starkhaven. Actually, he had done a lot worse things as a teenager, but this was not the time to think about them. The door opened almost soundlessly, as did the desk drawer, with the help of a little oil. Wrapping the keys into a velvet cloth to keep them from clanging, he quickly hid all signs of his break-in and made his way over to the small side door where Hawke was waiting for him.

He had warned her not to bring too many people, but Shepard was with her, and so, to Sebastian's surprise, was Ashley. She avoided his gaze, but he felt her eyes on his neck whenever he turned away.

"Quickly," he breathed, leading them along the nave and down into the shadowy crypt, filled with the sarcophagi of long-dead grand clerics. At the far end of the room there was a large, heavily fortified door, emblazoned with the Chantry sigil. Hawke raised a questioning eyebrow at him, and he nodded. The entrance to the vaults.

He'd brought the oil bottle and the door swivelled smoothly on its hinges, allowing access to a dark, wide staircase. Hawke stretched out her palm and summoned a tiny magelight, just enough to keep them from tripping on the stairs.

"Lead the way." Her voice was calm. Not her first break-in either.

Ashley was more nervous, her hand icy-cold when he took it to help her find her way around an almost invisible trap on the stairs. The Chantry authorities weren't naive, and the treasures hidden down here were well protected against ordinary, run-of-the-mill criminals. A sudden smile spread across Sebastian's face when he realized he was actually enjoying the challenge. Just like the old times, when he had stolen valuables from different locations in the palace in Starkhaven, sometimes to pay off his gambling debts, sometimes for a drunken wager. He had never been caught and the thought still filled him with pride.

But Ashley wasn't familiar with this kind of thrill, which was obvious from her pinched look, even if he admired the quiet grace of her movements. They quickly passed through the first three rooms, stuffed full of crates and dusty statuary, and finally reached a small, dark chamber where the wand should be stored, according to the inventory lists he had studied during the day. It had been easy to come up with a pretext to do so, some sort of story about wanting to research a family heirloom.

It wasn't probable that the wand would be missed any time soon, not with the sheer amount of stuff stowed away down here, far more than the museum curators could ever hope to have the room to display. Not that they would necessarily want to display everything that was hidden down here, he thought with a smirk, as they were passing a particularly graphic example of ancient Tevinter erotic sculpture. Ashley blushed when she caught sight of the entangled bodies, and for a second, unbidden fantasies rose to the surface of his mind. Bending her down, just like the lithe girl in the sculpture, hearing her moan- He shook his head vehemently to drive the thought from his mind. Clearly too many old memories were coming back tonight...


Ashley stifled a dry cough when yet another cloud of dust rose from a crate as Shepard pulled off its linen covering. He was getting impatient, his face taut with tension, his jaw working furiously. This was taking longer than they had anticipated. Sebastian had warned them that they would have to get out of here well before dawn or risk getting caught by the Templar on duty in the crypt.

The prince was doing his best to help, scanning the lists pinned to the sides of the crates, pushing objects out of the way with an ease that betrayed the strength of his tall, wiry body. His eyes were shining with a barely contained excitement that surprised her and created a curious flutter in her stomach.

Finally Hawke uttered a small cry of triumph and grabbed a wrapped object from a crate. "Got it. This fits Merrill's description."

"Good." Shepard visibly relaxed. "Let's get out of here."

They quickly hid all signs of their presence, trying to rearrange the crates the way they had been. But when they looked back, Hawke cursed silently. It was more than obvious where the dust covering most of the room had been disturbed.

"Stand back." Taking her staff from the sling on her shoulder, she raised it and murmured a few words. A light, but insistent breeze whirled through the room, whipping up the dust and resettling it in a fine, even layer.

Sebastian flashed her an unexpected grin. "That's neat."

She smiled back, but turned without another word. Quickly they made their way back to the crypt, but as soon as the door to the vaults had closed behind them, Sebastian pushed them behind a sarcophagus with a muffled curse. "Down."

Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs, and a small circle of light appeared at the top of them. Hawke tensed, a small wisp of magic beginning to gather between her fingertips, but Sebastian shook his head vehemently at her and motioned for her to stay down. The footsteps were advancing down the stairs now, massive armoured boots becoming visible in the shine of the lantern. Sebastian closed his eyes, muttering something under his breath and then sank down on his knees next to a particularly elaborately carved sarcophagus, his sonorous voice intoning a passage from the Chant that Ashley immediately recognized.

"O Maker, hear my cry:
Seat me by Your side in death."

The footsteps faltered when the Templar came within earshot. "Who's down there?"

Sebastian ignored the call, his face a picture of devotion, his voice calm and carrying, his warm brogue turning each line into a rich melodious lilt.

"Make me one within Your glory
And let the world once more see Your favor."

"Brother Vael? Is that you?" The Templar sounded surprised but friendly. "What are you doing here at this time of the night?"

Sebastian raised his head, a smile of pure innocence on his features. "Ser Edwin. I have come to pray at Grand Cleric Wulfruna's grave."

He gestured toward the sarcophagus. "She's a relative on my grandmother's side, you know, and I've sworn an oath to honour her birthday with a nightly vigil every year."

"Of course." The Templar stepped back, a respectful expression on his face. "I shall leave you in peace then, Brother."

"Thank you." Sebastian's face remained earnest and sober.

As soon as the guard's footsteps had retreated, he exhaled sharply, dropping all pretence, and quickly beckoned them to follow him. "Quick. There's no time to waste. I have to put Elthina's keys back before she wakes."

They left him at the side door, his long, lean silhouette framed by the doorway. Hawke hugged him briefly and silently to thank him, then she snuck off into the pitch-black darkness of Kirkwall's streets at night. Ashley knew she should be leaving too, but she couldn't resist a last look back at him. He looked so lonely, so lost that she almost turned back. But then she shook herself and followed Hawke.


Thanks to zevgirl for all her help with this.

I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while for chapter 10, since I will be away on vacation for the next two weeks. But there will be more, I promise!