I'm leaving Lise and Orsino to their privacy; they're a very quiet couple. That doesn't mean I won't make non-censored versions of some of these later chapters available under an M rating, but this version of the story will stay tasteful. I'm having too much fun writing about them together. Good thing there'll be drama soon enough to shake it up. ;) -note- there is an extended bedroom scene available under Behind Closed Doors: Excerpts from A Sane Mage, if that's your style. Beware fluffy purple prose and lots of sap.

Ch. 21, featuring closed doors, oaths, reunions, and a moment of peace.

The next morning, Hawke woke from vaguely pleasant dreams; she had a split second of where am I and who is touching me when she realized she wasn't alone, but it passed nearly immediately. She lay on her side, Orsino's arms wrapped around her, and she could just barely feel his breath against her neck. Smiling, she moved her head slightly to kiss the hand that lay on top of the covers and from behind her, he murmured in her ear, "Good morning, love."

She shivered slightly – his voice was so low and so close, and it sharply illustrated the fact that they were together, alone, in her bed, and there wasn't likely anyone else who would come in. Orana had already stirred the fire – the thought that she'd seen them together made Lise blush, but she also realized Orana wouldn't likely care - and although Ser Cullen was staying at the manor, she knew he was the sort who would never come into a woman's bedroom without explicit permission. She shifted a little, turning over carefully in Orsino's arms.

He was looking at her with the happiest, proudest expression in his green eyes, and her heart skipped. "Sleep well?" he asked, smiling as he reached over to tuck a stray curl behind her ear.

Lise nodded. "I did. I think I dreamt that we were out in a field of flowers, picnicking. Not much to it, but... it was nice."

Orsino nodded. "That does sound nice. Usually, when I have dreams I can remember, that's what they're like. I think most mages are like that – we dream of the common, everyday things that most of us will never experience outside of the tower." She began to frown but he kissed her, softly. "None of that now, love."

After a while spent just lying together, he shifted. "Speaking of dreams... you were out so for long, for so many days... I assumed you were dreaming, in the Fade. Do you remember anything? Or would you rather not speak of it?"

She shook her head. "I don't mind, love. I'll tell you whatever you'd like – but I don't really remember anything. I've had a few flashes that were more confusing than they were of any help. All I can remember is a vague sense that I was searching for someone. Mother and Carver at first, and then someone else." She looked up at him, smiling, and touched his cheek. "I guess that's why I finally woke up. The only place I knew I could find you was here."

Orsino smiled and kissed her again. After a few minutes she pulled back. "You smell like pine, and your hair is wet."

He chuckled. "I woke up much earlier, when Orana came in to light the fire, and asked her if she could help me fill the bath. I realized that I'd been sleeping by your bed for several days, so I probably needed it. I hope you don't mind – I found the soap in your wash room, and it smelled so very nice."

Lise smiled. "Love, anything that's mine is yours. I can send some back with you if you'd like – I make it myself. I've got lavender, mint, jasmine, and rose as well, but the pine probably suits you the best." She leaned her forehead against his. "But I see now that you're out of your mage robes, and that's such a pity."

A look of comprehension dawned in his eyes and he laughed. "Is that why Varric calls me 'Robes'?"

She blushed, and nodded. "Well, he came up with it himself, but yes, it was to tease me. I happen to be very fond of them, you see."

"I'll have to remember that, then." He looked down at her, and she noticed that his eyes had grown dark again. "You seem to be feeling well, my dear." He leaned over, placing a lingering kiss on her earlobe, and she whimpered softly. A slow smile spread across his face. "I'm supposed to make sure that you've got a clean bill of health." Lise nodded slowly, staring into his eyes. He slid a hand down her side – she could feel its warmth through her nightdress – and softly touched her stomach, where the wound had been, and where there was now a well-healed, jagged scar. He pressed his lips to her neck, murmuring "How does that feel?"

She nodded, biting her lip. "It feels... fine." She cleared her throat, whispering, "Better than fine."

A few hours later, after breakfast, she followed him down into the foyer to join Ser Cullen, who was finishing a cup of tea. He rose to his feet when he saw her, and bowed. "Champion. I am overjoyed to see that you're well enough to be up and about."

Lise laughed. "Please, Ser Cullen. I've heard of the honour that the Knight-Commander has bestowed upon me, but I still want my friends to call me Hawke."

He smiled. "Very well, then, Hawke." He looked at Orsino. "Is she well?"

The mage nodded, resisting the urge to say, "No, she's dangerously ill and will need me at her side for at least another few days." As much as he'd love to try, he knew that pushing the limits could put them in danger with Meredith; and now, he had everything in the world to protect. Still, it was at least a nice thought. He cleared his throat. "Quite well, although I don't want her going farther than the garden for a week, especially in the heat with the dust and noise from the reconstruction. I'll come back daily to check on her."

The templar nodded. "Then if you will excuse us, Serah? The Knight-Commander is expecting us, I believe."

She bowed to both of them, trying to hold back the blush and smile when she looked at Orsino. Cullen left first, and then Orsino looked back briefly and smiled at her, and she gave him a little wave. When the door was closed behind him, she sank down onto the bench in the foyer, pressing her hands to her cheeks, trying not to grin too much.

When Varric came to visit an hour later, she was in the study responding to the enormous pile of letters, notes, and cards that had accumulated since her duel with the Arishok. Varric and Bodhan had answered the few that seemed to need immediate attention, but the rest were either well-wishes or invitations, attempts to curry favour, or all three. She'd looked outside at the yard, but it was too hot – she'd have to wait until evening – and there wasn't much else she could do until then. So she sat, humming as she wrote, until she was startled by a "Hello there, Beautiful," from behind her. He laughed as she caught the inkwell just before it tipped.

"Varric, don't do that!"

Observing her for a moment, he gave a sly grin. "So I hear that Robes stayed the night."

She was suddenly very interested in making sure she hadn't gotten any ink on the note she was writing to the Comtesse de Launcet. "Of course he did – he still had to give me an examination today, after all."

"Mmm. 'Examination,' eh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hawke, you're glowing, blushing, and humming, for Andraste's sake."

Lise laughed, sitting back. "All right, all right. I should know I can't lie to you."

He grinned again. "Damned straight, you can't. How was it?"

She gave him a Look. "I'm not giving you details, Varric."

"But then I'll have to make them up, and-" he ducked, laughing, as she threw a crumpled piece of paper at him. "Ancestors. I yield. Mercy, Champion, mercy!" Lise grinned.

"Well, I can tell you one thing. You were certainly off the mark when you called him tame." She blushed and the two of them burst out laughing again.

"It's good to hear you laugh, Beautiful. It's been a long time." He sat down on the divan. "How are you two going to handle it, though?"

She shrugged, frowning a bit. "I don't know. I guess we'll just make do. We can still visit each other, so we've got evenings; we may just have to accept it as the best it's going to be." She couldn't frown for long, though; the smiles kept breaking through. "I'm just happy he's back."

"I can tell. It's a kind of sickening."

She rolled her eyes. "Would you rather spend the afternoon reading letters addressed to 'the esteemed Champion of Kirkwall'? Apparently with the Viscount dead, I am the most popular person in this damned city. Maybe I'll just steal Orsino and run away to Rivain or somewhere equally impossible to reach. I'd say Tevinter, but then Fenris would never visit."

Varric laughed. "Sure, actually. Throw me a few – I could use a good chuckle."

They were sitting that way, laughing as he read them out in snooty mock-society voices, then coming up with the most absurd ways in which to answer the letters that would still impress the recipients, when Merrill walked into the room, carrying a basket.

"Hullo, Daisy," Varric said. "Didn't hear you at the door."

"Oh, I slipped in the back. I wanted to come see Hawke but I didn't want to bother Orana, or that nice dwarf." She put the basket down, pulling out a potted plant, which she carried over in both hands and held out to Lise.

"Merrill, what's this?" She took it; it seemed just to be a normal, if lovely, pot of blue irises.

"When I was taking care of your garden I noticed that there wasn't a lot of blue. So I wanted to bring some over – these are growing marvellously in my back yard. And I wanted to apologize, Hawke. I yelled at you back on Sundermount and I've been such a seth'lin since then. But then you fought the Arishok, and…" The elven mage began to get upset, and Lise got up and hugged her.

"It's ok, Merrill. I should have come by to say 'I'm sorry' a while ago. I was just… not at my best this summer."

Merrill shook her head. "No, Hawke. I know you said what you did because you care about me; I just didn't want to agree with you. But seeing what happened to your mother – thinking about it – I think I'm going to talk to the demon one more time about the eluvian, and then give it up if it can't help me. The arulin'holm hasn't helped, so there's got to be something else I can do."

Lise shook her head at Varric, but then nodded at the elf. "If you're truly going to give it up, Merrill, I'll go with you one last time. But this has to be it. And it has to wait a bit – I'm not even allowed out of the estate yet."

Merrill smiled. "Oh, thank you, Hawke! Of course it can wait – we probably don't want to go up Sundermount again until it's cooler." Varric muttered something about 'never cool enough to go outside', but she continued. "It's good to see you looking so well. Is that nice man gone? The elf – the First Enchanter, wasn't he?"

Lise laughed. "Orsino? Yes, he's gone for today but he'll be coming back as often as he used to, I hope."

"That's good. He was awfully upset, you know. But I suppose that's what happens when you care about someone." She hopped up onto one of the library stools sitting around the room. "But then, I always knew you'd have the good sense to fall in love with an elf. It's just a pity he isn't Dalish."

Varric stifled a laugh and Hawke chuckled, but steered the talk away from herself and Orsino. After a bit Merrill left, and Lise and Varric went back to answering her correspondence. They'd just finished when Bodahn came in with another letter. "Wolf just brought this, messere. He said it's from the Gallows."

She sighed, and Varric raised an eyebrow. "What's that for, Hawke? I'd expect you to be all smiles at getting a letter from Robes."

"Well, I'm glad of it, but it most likely means he won't be by tonight. With how long he's been gone, we figured that Meredith would want to keep him around at least for today – Maker knows how many 'blood mages' she's found in the tower in the past week – but I couldn't help hoping." She broke the seal and began to read to herself.

"Dearest Lise,

As we suspected, Meredith has a thousand things for me to do and if I even attempted to leave tonight I think she would have a fit. It's nothing to do with us – it's just yet another reason why living in the same building as her is becoming quickly intolerable. Especially if you consider that I'd much rather be living with you.

That aside, I will certainly be coming to the estate often. She seemed to have no problem when I told her I would need to visit each day for the coming week to check your health – although I warn you, I think she will come with me tomorrow, and that may shorten my visit. But we have been separated for longer times, so as much as I feel the urge to pace my study and count the hours until I'm with you again, I know that I'll be better served by actually seeing to some of the paperwork she's piled upon my desk.

While Meredith does not yet have my correspondence monitored, I still feel more able to be particularly free in this letter because I ran into Wolf in the courtyard – probably on some other errand – and bade him wait until I wrote so that he could bring it to you quickly and safely. I've asked him to come see me if he's ever in the Gallows – I haven't been asked not to send letters by courier, and until I am, I will utilize him whenever he's available. After all, until someone complains, I can just say that as your errand boy I saw no harm in giving him messages for you.

I know how annoying it gets for young boys to sit in one place cooling their heels for too long, so I will close this letter – but before I do, let me tell you how much I love you. I still cannot believe that you feel the same way as I – but I will not tempt fate by questioning it. You are the brightest spot in my life, and every moment I'm awake I think of you. This morning was special beyond belief, and each time I think of it I find myself wanting you more.

I will close now, love, and count the hours until I see you tomorrow.

Yours,

Orsino"

Lise blushed as she read it, and smiled, and Varric made gagging sounds until she grimaced at him. "Well, he's not coming back tonight, but I expected that. Do you want to stay for dinner?"

The next morning, shortly before lunch, Meredith came to visit, bringing Orsino. It was hard to keep from smiling too much when she saw him, standing behind the Knight-Commander, but she managed.

"Knight-Commander," she said, bowing. "First Enchanter. Please come in." Calling to Bodahn, she requested tea in the study, and then showed them in.

Meredith and Lise took the chairs by the fire while Orsino sat on the divan; when they were seated, the Knight-Commander wasted no time. "I am glad to see that you are feeling better, Serah Hawke."

Hawke nodded. "Thank you, messere."

"You did a good thing for Kirkwall when you defeated the Arishok. Thanks to the Maker that you managed to pull through. The city needs you, and with all that you have done for its citizens, I felt it only fitting to name you Champion of Kirkwall."

Bowing her head, Lise quietly demurred as she knew was appropriate. "It was merely my duty, Knight-Commander. I'm sure that anyone else in my situation would have done the same."

"But no one else did, and in fact, I think it is time that the nobles – cowards, all of them – see what it means to serve one's city as well as the will of the Maker. I – we – will be depending on you, Champion, to see to the defense of Kirkwall, as well as the protection of her citizens and the upholding of her laws." She held out her hand with the Knight-Commander's seal of the Chantry upon her forefinger. "As we have no Viscount, it falls to me to take your oath. Will you swear to do this, Serah Hawke?"

Lise took her hand and kissed the ring. "I do swear, Knight-Commander. I will protect Kirkwall and her citizens from any dangers, within or without, and will uphold her righteous laws until I no longer draw breath. May that event only happen in defense of the city."

At this, Meredith and Lise both stood, and bowed to each other. "I understand that the First Enchanter needs to give you an examination. I have business with the Grand Cleric; I will stop by on my way back from the Chantry and you can return with me to the Gallows, Orsino. We still need more information about those missing apostates. I hear disturbing rumours of blood magic about at least two of them; I expect to find it true about all three."

When she left, Lise turned to Orsino. "Apostates?"

He'd put an arm around her waist, drawing her close, and rested his forehead against hers as he explained. "Three mages escaped while I was here – two had taken their harrowings in Kirkwall and one was from Ferelden - she fled the country during the blight. Meredith is sure they're still in the city, and is most likely trying to gather information so that she can ask you to go after them."

She frowned, then looked up at him, running her finger along the patterns in his robes. "Are they a danger?"

Orsino sighed. "I don't know. If they have fallen to blood magic, then they are – but I don't know if they have. Huon, perhaps. He's always been odd – a loner – although I'm not sure I blame him since he was devastated when they tore him away from his wife and forced him into the circle." He gave her a soft, sad look, and she touched his cheek. "Though it's no excuse for blood magic. Evelina, I have a hard time believing might be involved in it. From all I've heard, she spent all of her free time seeing to a group of orphaned children she brought with her from Ferelden. And Emile de Launcet? Doubtful. Between you and me, my dear, he's more of an idiot than blood magic allows for."

Lise gave a wry, sad smile. "Well, if Meredith asks me to track them, you know I will have to. But I will also do what I can to see that if they're not blood mages, they either evade me or are brought back without reprimand."

He kissed her gently, and then more eagerly. After a few minutes, he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers again. "Thank you, love. Meredith may not know exactly what she's done in making you Champion, but I think it's a very good thing for the city. And if she doesn't understand what you swore, I do."

She smiled, dimpling slightly. "I know. The biggest dangers to Kirkwall may not come from the sources she expects. Now..." she led him back to the divan, where they could sit together, his arms around her, her head on his shoulder - "do you really need to give me an examination, or can we just sit here and enjoy the little time we have until she returns? As long as we're in here we will at least hear her knock."

Orsino kissed her forehead. "No need. I can already tell you're feeling better, and your colour and pulse are good. And right now, I just want to hold you, and talk to you – last night was much more lonely than I expected."

She nodded. "You'll need to stay at the Gallows again this evening, I assume?"

He grimaced. "Most likely. And I'd rather not push it, now. But I will return tomorrow, and as I won't have Meredith, I'll be free to stay as long as I wish. As long as I'm here if she needs to send for me, she never seems to mind much."

As the Knight-Commander's strident knock echoed through the manor, she gave him a last, lingering kiss. "Until tomorrow, then, love."

seth'lin (seth-LEEN): thin blood (Merrill uses it to mean thin-skinned – too easily angered or upset).

arulin'holm (ah-roo-lin-HOLM): ancient woodworking tool.

Eluvian (ehl-LOO-vee-ehn): mirror from ancient times.

As always, the characters belong to Bioware, I just play with them.