A/N: Sorry my avid readers, my muse seems to have gone on vacation with the change in North Dakota weather. Apologies for the late update, I had to push through the story and hopefully my muse will come back soon to enlighten me once again. This may be a bit rough, but I still hope you enjoy.


Anders released Mari as the last notes of the song echoed through the ballroom and knelt down on one knee taking one of her small hands in both of his. Hawke gasped and brought her other hand up to her mouth in surprised. Anders could hear murmurs and gasping echoing throughout the ballroom at Anders' gesture and they waited in stunned silence.

"Marianna, you have brought so much meaning to my life. From the first moment when you save me, my heart has been yours. I never thought to find someone who could bring so much joy into my life. You accepted me without question and opened your heart to me as well. I hope if you will accept me I can bring just as much joy into your life. I never had a true home until I met you, and now I can't imagine living without you by my side the rest of my days. Mari, love of my life, will you marry me?"

"Anders…"

"You can't be seriously considering this," Anders heard a noble sneer, stepping out of the ring surrounding them. "He's a mage."

"As was her father," Leandra replied, coming to step up next to her daughter. "Really Guillaume you should know better."

"The chantry will never allow such a marriage to take place," another noble retorted, staying in the crowd.

"The chantry is not the only group that can bless a marriage," Leandra stated, causing a collective gasp to echo from all the nobility. "If this man can continue to make my daughter as happy as he already has, then I don't see the problem. He may be a mage, but he is a healer, never asking for coin from those who have none. He is also a gray warden, and a commander at that, an order sworn to protect all of us from darkspawn and the blights. And he has swept my daughter off her feet, and it is a love I have not seen since my dear Malcolm passed. I would welcome this man into my family, mage or no, with open arms. Besides, shouldn't we wait for her answer?"

Anders felt all the eyes shift from Leandra to the two of them. He was still kneeling on the floor waiting in front of Mari for her answer. Hawke's eyes were focused on her mother, gratitude written over every line of her body at her mother's words of comfort and acceptance. Finally she turned to Anders with tears glistening in her aquamarine eyes before a smile broke out on her lovely face and she nodded her head. Anders jumped up and captured her in his arms, joy rushing through his body as he spun her around and she continued to whisper yes in his ear. He then placed her gently back on her feet before giving her a passionate kiss that caused most the nobility to cheer, much to their surprise.

When they broke the kiss, Anders noticed some nobles leaving, no doubt upset by the audacity of a mage proposing marriage to one of their own. He quickly dismissed them from his mind, too excited and happy about her acceptance to care what they thought. They were soon surrounded by nobles wishing them congratulations and blessings. When the crowd finally dissipated, Anders took Mari's hand and moved to find the dwarf.

Quickly finding Varric, Anders wasn't surprised he was with Fenris, Aveline, and Donnic. What did surprise him was the fact that Aveline was wearing a pale green dress, instead of her normal guardsman full-plate. The four friends congratulated the couple when they arrived, though Anders noticed Fenris seemed reluctant in his blessing.

"You were right Blondie," Varric chuckled. "It was better to not ruin the story."

"I really didn't expect the outrage from the nobles," Anders admitted with a rueful grin as Hawke tucked herself into his side. "I was hoping they would be so caught up in the romance of the proposal they would forget I was a mage. I guess I should know better by now."

"I'm not surprised," Aveline stated tersely. "What surprised me was more people didn't leave."

"Aveline, I never thought I'd see the day," Anders chuckled, changing the subject as he motioned to her dress.

"Yes well, the Seneschal informed me I had to wear a dress, and not my armor," Aveline snipped, plucking at her skirt, her discomfort apparent with her movement.

"Pay no attention to him," Donnic affirmed smoothly, taking her hand in one of his. "You look lovely."

Aveline's face turned bright red at Donnic's compliment and she tried to hide the smile his words caused. The friends continued to talk to each other, while the minstrels took their break. When the music started up again, Hawke pulled away from Anders side and pulled him onto the dance floor.

"As great as the last dance was," she smirked. "I would like to dance a whole dance with you without you causing the scandal of the season."

"But scandals are so much fun," Anders joked, pulling Mari into his arms before sweeping her away with the music. "They make life ever so entertaining. If there were no scandals among the nobility, life would be ever so dull."

Hawke laughed at his joke as he guided her effortlessly around the ballroom. The rest of the evening passed too quickly for Anders. Congratulations were given by many of the nobility the rest of the night, petit-fours were consumed, alcohol was drank, and all too soon a happily drunk Mari was yawning up at him asking to go home. Only too content to oblige the woman who would soon be his wife, Anders found their cloaks and the two mages headed out into the cold winter's night towards their home.

The cold night air seemed to revitalize Hawke, and by the time they got into their rooms she pulled him into a deep passionate kiss. Anders groaned as she pushed her small body against his own causing blood to rush to his groin. The two began to undress each other, casting the trappings on the floor to be gathered tomorrow. Falling into bed with Mari, Anders made love to her sating them both in the shared pleasure they always could achieve. Soon they fell quickly to sleep, snuggled in each other's arms.


Anders glanced around in the fade, he found himself on a cliff between the image of Kinloch Hold and the Gallows. Dread filled his gut as the oppression these two places represented in his life.

"It is good to see you again my friend," a hollow voiced greeted behind him. Anders turned and faced an opaque image of a man in armor; confusion etched his features since he could not place where he knew the voice. "I will forgive your confusion since it has been many years since you saw me this way. You last saw me haunting a corpse."

"Justice?" Anders queried, realization dawning.

"Indeed friend," the spirit confirmed. "I have been reluctant to approach, unsure if you would remember me."

"Elissa said they discovered a way to send you back, but that was years ago."

"Time does not exist here. Only in your world do you measure such passages."

"I remember. I'm sure you are glad to be home."

"I am, though I remember a promise I made to you that has gone unfulfilled. I came to rectify my error."

"What promise?"

"To help you free the mages."

"Justice, you're back in the fade. I would not expect you to complete such a promise."

"Never the less, there is an injustice in your world that I promised to help you remedy. I came to find you to complete our bargain."

"How would we do this?"

"We would join."

Anders jaw dropped at the implications of what Justice was suggesting. "Do you understand what you are asking of me?"

"We knew each other quite well Anders, I would think you would want to help your fellow mages."

"I am already helping them," Anders intoned. "I work with an underground in Kirkwall setting mages free. I talk with the Viscount and Grand Cleric about the abuses the mages suffer."

"And they ignore you," Justice pointed out, coming forward to stand beside Anders on the cliff's edge. "The Gallows is worse with the injustices towards their mages than your own circle was. Do you truly not wish to help your comrades?"

"How do you know this?"

"I have witnessed the nightmares of the mages of Kirkwall while trying to locate you. You distract yourself from your true purpose with this relationship you have. I can help you find your focus."

"Not a good sell Justice," Anders quipped. "Mari is a fellow mage and she assists me when she can. She has helped me more than you could realize just by being an example to the other mages in Kirkwall. She gives them something to strive towards."

"These mages will never reach said goal as long as the system they live in remains corrupt, heedless of the injustices they suffer."

"I know," Anders sighed. "How would this work then, our joining?"

"I would help you find focus and remove needless distractions while we worked to free the mages in Kirkwall."

"Would you be in control?"

"No," Justice answered quickly. "I would only take control when your emotions became too volatile or when you allow me the control."

"So I will still have choices, free will?"

"Yes, I am no demon Anders. I will not control you against your will. We would become one mind and body, and I would just help guide you."

"I can't believe this is something you would do again. I thought you hated our world."

"I will not lie, I do not like being outside the fade. But I made you a promise, and I would help you see justice done for the mages."

"This is not something I should agree to lightly, may I think on this Justice? A joining is a serious thing. Remember what it was like for you when you were in Kristoff's body? The emotions, the memories he held were very hard for you to deal with sometimes. I wouldn't be a dead host, I would be alive."

"I understand, and I will give you time to think on my suggestion."

The scene around Anders changed and he was released from the fade. He felt the warmth of Hawke body still snuggled into his side as he stared up at the canopy over their bed. Big night, Anders mused to himself. First a marriage proposal then Justice offers me a joining of a different type. He thought about Justice's proposal not sure what to make of his friend's offer. Being a spirit healer, he knew this would be a huge undertaking and a joining of this nature would be permanent. Anders had a lot to think on, but sleep still pulled at him and he quickly found himself back in the fade without offers from spirits and demons.