NSFW content ahead.

21 Solace:

Kylon was in an unusually cheerful mood as he walked through Denerim toward the palace. A victim from the most recent mage robbery had actually seen the woman's face, so they had a decent picture of her now; Fergus had agreed to go to the Tower and open discussions with Irving about a commission to help the mages and Ferelden transition to their new freedom; and best of all, the sun was shining. He turned his face up to it, letting the warmth soak in.

"If you do not look where you are going, you are certain to run into trouble," said a familiar voice. Startled, Kylon put a foot down wrong, twisting his ankle painfully.

"Maker's blood, Zev, will you stop that?!" he swore, grasping the elf's shoulder to keep from falling.

"Not as long as it makes you clutch at me so desperately, no," said Zev.

"You're back sooner than I expected," Kylon said, ignoring the innuendo.

The amused light in Zev's eyes faded. "You are needed, my friend. Urgently."

"What's the trouble?" Kylon looked down into the elf's face, concerned.

"Our lovely Commander has run into something that disturbed her very much."

"Judith? Judith's defeated so many things—" Kylon began automatically, but stopped when Zev shook his head, his face dark.

"Not like this. To hear her colleagues in Amaranthine tell it, she had been working herself too hard already, and then they met this talking darkspawn, an emissary of great power. Something happened—the darkspawn took them captive, I believe. I saw her when they returned, and I tell you, Daniel, there is no time to waste. She needs you—but as we both know, she would never admit that to herself, much less to anyone else."

"Thank you, Zev," Kylon said, squeezing his friend's shoulder.

"She does not know you are coming—otherwise, she would have told me not to trouble you."

"Almost certainly the wisest course," Kylon agreed. With a nod to Zev, he turned on his heel, heading for his estate.

It took him only a few minutes to throw some things into a pack and be ready to go. Much as it discomfited him to do so, he ordered his carriage brought around. He hadn't used the thing a single time since becoming Arl, so it was dusty inside and out, but if it would get him there faster …

Ivan opened the door for him. "I shall be on the box with the driver, ser."

"All right," Kylon agreed impatiently. He'd have preferred to avoid bringing bodyguard and driver, but apparently being Arl meant you could never go anywhere alone again.

The journey was relatively short, the horses well rested and ready for a run, so they rumbled along the roads at a fine pace. They were halted at the gates of the Vigil, a young guard stepping up to the carriage window defiantly. "Who goes there?" he demanded.

"The Arl of Denerim," Kylon said pleasantly. "I request entry."

The guard gulped. "Yes, ser." He gestured to a tall dark-haired woman in armor, who came over to the carriage.

"Sergeant Maverlies, ser, at your service." She looked at the device on the carriage door. "The Arl of Denerim, eh? The Commander will be most pleased to see you." She led Kylon toward the keep, assuring him that his carriage and men would be well looked after.

Kylon followed Maverlies into the Vigil. It was a busy place. The marketplace rang with the sounds of Master Wade's hammer and tongs, a strange dwarf with blond braids was cackling over a sulphurous concoction, and a group of soldiers was practicing archery. As they went up the steps into the keep itself, Maverlies turned to him. "Ser, I must warn you—the Commander has just finished a session of open court. It was … messy. And the Commander is very tired. We think a lot of her here."

He smiled reassuringly at the soldier, touched by the display of solicitude. It warmed him to know that Judith's people were looking out for her.

A gray-haired man with brown eyes that looked as though they could be merry when there was time met them in the great hall. "Sergeant Maverlies, court is closed for the day. Who is this?"

"Daniel Kylon, ser," Kylon said, stepping forward. "Arl of Denerim, husband of the Commander of the Grey."

An expression of relief crossed over the man's face. "Guy Varel, Seneschal of Vigil's Keep. I assume the … elf found you?"

Kylon nodded. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs in her room." Varel hesitated, then said quietly, "It's good that you've come."

Maverlies led Kylon up the stairs to Judith's room. He was hard put not to bound up the stairs two at a time, worry and excitement warring within him. At the door, Maverlies knocked.

A testy but beloved voice answered the knock. "Have I not asked to be left alone? What is it now?"

Kylon nodded to Maverlies, who stepped back from the door but remained in the hallway, watching him. Taking no chances, he thought. Good woman. He rested his forehead against the door, calling through the wood, "Big package from Denerim, my lady."

There was a pause, and then he nearly fell over as the door was yanked open and a slender body flew into his arms. "Daniel," she said, clinging to him. "Daniel, you're here." And she promptly burst into tears. Kylon gave Maverlies a pointed glance, and the soldier nearly fell over herself trying to get out of the hallway, profoundly embarrassed to have seen the Commander in that condition. He lifted Judith in his arms, carrying her into her room. He sank down on the bed, holding her as she wept and murmuring soft sounds into her hair.

As the tears began to slow, Judith pulled back from him. She hiccuped, and Daniel tenderly used the edge of the sheet to wipe her face. "How did you know to come?" Judith asked, her voice still weak and teary. Then she answered her own question. "Zev, that scamp."

"He was looking out for you, just like the rest of the denizens of your fortress here," he said, brushing her hair back from her face. He kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm fine, really," she said in a voice that might have deceived someone else.

"Yes, I could tell," Daniel said teasingly.

Judith sniffed, brushing angrily at the tears that still threatened. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you were busy."

Daniel wasn't having any more of this. He took her face in his hands, looking her directly in the eye. "I love you, Judith. When a trusted friend tells me you need me, it doesn't matter how busy I am. Don't ever worry about that. It's what we do—we support each other."

"I … I suppose." Judith gave him a watery smile. "I've missed you so much!"

He dipped his head, kissing her tenderly on the cheek and on the nose and then finding her lips with his own. Judith clung to him, her mouth softening under his. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be with him this way—to be able to trust someone so completely, to be able to share her burdens instead of always having to be in charge.

Daniel felt the change in her, the easing of the tension in her muscles. "Now," he said, softly but firmly, "tell me." His arms tightened around her as he sat back against the headboard. Judith rested her head against his chest. She told him in quick, terse sentences about the elf Keeper Velanna, who had terrorized the Wending Wood in the mistaken impression that humans had killed her sister. She described the Dalish encampment where the darkspawn, incredibly, had framed the humans for their own massacre. And then her voice faltered as she talked of going into the Deep Roads and of the creature—not human or darkspawn, but something in between—who had found them there.

"He … I didn't even step onto the rune, Daniel, but it glowed anyway, and he—he was in my head, making me sleepy. Worse than any demon." Judith shivered, and Daniel held her more closely. "I woke in some kind of laboratory. Things … bubbling, dripping. I was tied to a table, and he took some of my blood. Like the Chantry, but at least I knew what they wanted it for. Daniel, whatever he's doing, whatever he's … making, I helped him!"

"No." He said it firmly, directly into her ear. "You were captured. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it."

"Except not go in there."

"You could never have left the Wood without searching for Velanna's sister, or investigating those darkspawn. You were doing your job," he said. "You'd do it the same way again if you had to."

Judith was silent for a few moments. "That's not the worst part."

His poor love, Daniel thought. "What was?"

"He—the darkspawn, the Architect, he's called—imprisoned us, took our belongings. Seranni—Velanna's sister—she 's a ghoul, under this Architect's thrall. She managed to slip us a key, and we escaped through the tunnels, but Daniel! There were Wardens down there, Grey Wardens, half-dead of the taint, and they were wearing our gear and using our own weapons against us. It was … it was like being replaced. And poor Riordan, those must have been his friends. How can I tell him? I can't tell him that." She shuddered. "We got all our gear back eventually, and we sent the Wardens to the Maker, but the Architect got away, and … I can't get over the idea that we were somehow being tested. Like rats in a cage."

What could he possibly say to that? Daniel thought despairingly. What she was facing here was so much more than they'd ever expected. At last, he said, "So you'll go after him. You won't let him get away with it, whatever he's doing."

"Well, of course," she said indignantly. Her voice had strengthened for a moment, but when she spoke again it was small and soft again. "But … what if he does it again?"

"You're ready for him this time. He took you by surprise before, but he won't be able to again." Daniel stroked her cheek. "You started with just two novice Grey Wardens and you took down an Archdemon. A talking darkspawn, no matter how powerful, can't stand against you."

She turned to look for him, a smile starting to glimmer. "You and your optimism."

"It's a gift," he said, grinning at her.

"You're a gift," Judith murmured. She tangled her hands in his hair, pulling his head down for a long kiss. When it was over, they were both breathing heavily. Daniel rolled gently on top of her, feeling her hands slide down his back and under his shirt. He kissed her again, their tongues dancing together. His hands moved in her hair, finding the pins and removing them until the blonde strands fell softly around her face.

"My beautiful wife," he whispered, kissing her neck. "I have missed you." He tugged at the hem of her tunic until Judith sat up and let him pull it off her. The breastband went next. Daniel took her breasts into his hands, his mouth finding one nipple and then the other, suckling and gently biting, her soft sighs inflaming him. His hands moved down over her stomach to the laces of her leggings, tugging clumsily until the laces came undone. As Judith lay back into the pillows, Daniel hastily shucked his own clothes and pulled off her leggings and smallclothes.

He ran a hand slowly up her calf and the inside of her thigh. Judith held her breath, lifting her hips to encourage his hand to move where she ached for his touch. Instead, she felt his tongue there, delicately tasting. Judith twisted her hands in the covers, moaning.

As she neared the peak, she reached down, grabbing his shoulders desperately, needing to feel him deep inside her. Daniel needed little encouragement. He guided himself to her entrance. Looking into her eyes, he slid inside her, his hips pumping slowly. Judith wrapped her legs around his waist, thrusting back at him as the pleasure rose to a crescendo and she cried out, clinging to him.

Daniel felt her tighten around him, the sensation so exquisite that it pushed him over the edge after her. He shifted to his side, drawing Judith against him. She cuddled close, her head against his chest. His heartbeat against her ear was like a lullaby. Completely exhausted as she was, Judith was asleep in moments, but Daniel lay awake for a long time, cradling her in his arms and wishing he never had to leave her alone again.