A/N – Ignore the previous note that was here. It wasn't really for this story.

Bethany and I were now in our own home. It was nowhere near as large as the embassy nor the home Hawke now resided in. But it was easily large enough for Bethany, myself and the few servants we employed. I figured we could probably have asked Gawen to join us, as I would have asked, not ordered, but there was no doubt he would have followed me. Though he was my servant, I paid him well, but whether he thought of me as a friend or just his employer, I'm not sure.

"It is nice to have our own place. And our own bed," Bethany said softly as she cuddled into me. We'd been christening said bed every night since we moved in, which was only a week or so ago.

"Aye. First time I've had my own place on Thedas. Still wonder what became of Breezehome, if someone else moved in, if Lydia still lives there, or if it's become some sort of mausoleum because they assume I'm dead."

"Still haven't figured out how you got here?"

"No, and probably never will. I think if my soul was transported to another body, it would suggest I otherwise died. But, as I've said, the body I landed in was nearly an exact copy of what I looked like on Skyrim, or least as far as I know. Don't look in a mirror often." I gave her a gentle squeeze. "Enough about me. What about you? I know you can't return to Lothering. Don't you miss Ferelden?"

"Sometimes. Kirkwall is… different. Very different. Even though I'm a mage, I never felt unsafe in Lothering. I'm sure some people were aware of my abilities, but my father trained me well. As for the here and now, I'm in a large house, with the man I love, my family otherwise just down the road. The only negative is…"

She trailed off so I asked, "Is?"

Lifting herself up so she could meet my eyes, she admitted, "I never wanted to be a Warden, Uhtred. I was practically forced into it. Either undergo the Joining or die. Not much of a choice."

Caressing her cheek, I simply said, "Aye, but at least you're here with me now. Don't think the heart could have taken another loss."

The smile was instant. "So we're in agreement that neither of us should die anytime soon?"

"I'll do my best, depending on what your sister drags us into next."

Life was quiet for at least a couple of weeks. I visited the embassy nearly every day, but the new ambassador rarely left the office except to visit the viscount or Knight-Commander Meredith, and all I had to do there was stay by his side and look intimidating, which is rather easy for me to do. I had no doubt Hawke, Varric and the others were up to things, but none of them were knocking on my door, asking for assistance. So, if I was at home, most of the time I'd end up watching Bethany as she dabbled in the arcane. No idea what she was doing all of the time but she liked me observing. Didn't learn anything, it was the same as Leliana. I could watch her doing the simplest tasks and find enjoyment in it.

One evening over dinner, well once we'd finished, Bethany wiped her mouth before fixing me with a stare. "Uhtred, how serious is this between us?"

I couldn't help blink at her in slight surprise. "Well, considering we're living together now, with only a couple of servants, I would think it's…" I paused before asking, "What's brought this on?"

"You've mentioned…" She trailed off before taking a deep breath. "Your… Your wife…"

She didn't have to say anything more, reaching across to grab her hand, running my thumb over it. "I've never seen you so nervous, Bethany."

She met my eyes and smiled. "Do you want a family, Uhtred?"

"Yes, I would. But…"

"But nothing. I want a family too."

"When would you like to start?" she asked eagerly, a tone in her voice that suggested… she wanted to start immediately.

So I gently grabbed her hand, leading her to the kitchen first, letting the others know we were finished with dinner, before I quickly led her upstairs to our bedroom. She was eager, very eager, and holding her in my arms afterwards, she placed my hands in hers, holding them on her belly. She whispered something to herself before falling asleep.

She was still in a good mood the next morning when there was a knock at the front door, Gawen returning to announce Hawke had arrived. I offered her breakfast but the look on her face suggested she wasn't visiting for pleasantries. "What is it?" I wondered.

"Before I tell you, I do wonder. Your portion of takings from our expedition. What did you do with it?"

"Locked in a safe. I'll always need new weapons and armour eventually, and once I do, I'll be wanting the best. Why?"

"Mother always said I had a good eye for business, and remember that mine we helped?"

"The dragon business a while back?"

"Yes, that one. Well, I thought I'd help out and become a partner, figuring I'd make a little coin once they started to mine. Problem is, someone is attacking and stealing our shipments. I received a letter from one of my partners recently and he believes he's found the perpetrator. I was going to go speak with him and, well, I figured I might need some muscle."

"That's all I am now?"

"You are rather intimidating, Uhtred. I've found it rather helpful for you to just stand around, grunting occasionally. I find people rather helpful after a few seconds."

"Where are we meeting?"

"At my estate. My partner will be bringing the perpetrator with them. I have a few questions of my own, as I don't think he's the only one behind the missing shipments."

Bethany was happy enough to remain at home, so Hawke and I walked outside, greeted by Varric, who was intrigued himself as to how this would play out. Heading back to Hawke's estate, we waited in the sitting room by the fire until one of his servants walked in, announcing Hubert had arrived with someone else.

Hubert walked in and was a rather well dressed, well-spoken gentleman. Certainly not a miner, or at least, he wasn't anymore. Next to him was someone who definitely had the appearance of a miner. And, if I didn't know any better, he'd been roughed up recently. His clothing dishevelled, slightly torn. Couple of bruises and scratches. Generally looking sorry for himself. Hubert grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and forced him into a chair as the four of us stood around him.

"I caught him leaking next week's shipping schedule, Hawke," Hubert explained, "Name's Sabin. Caught in the act, he still won't tell me who he's working with." Hubert stepped forward and gave the man a back hander. "Tell me who's screwing me over, you rutting mongrel!"

Hawke cleared her throat and I got in position behind Sabin. He glanced behind and I saw the gulp. "Hitting isn't necessary," I stated softly. It was always best to speak softly, hit hard.

Hawke crouched down so she was at eye level with him. "I remember you from Lothering."

"What?" I exclaimed. She must have only just recognised him.

"Yes," Sabin whispered, "Know her family. Mum. Sisters. Even your father, Maker rest his soul."

"Yet this is how I'm repaid. We've helped so many families from Ferelden who have chosen to make their homes here," Hawke spat, obviously incensed by the betrayal. She stood up and took a couple of steps back, meeting my eyes. I guess I would be called upon soon enough.

"I can't bear to look at this dog any longer, Hawke. I'll leave him in your and your friend's obviously capable hands," Hubert muttered, a quick farewell, and then he was gone.

"Please, messere…" Sabin practically begged.

I rested a hand on Sabin's shoulder and I felt him almost jump out of the chair. I gave it a squeeze, just to remind him I was there. "You will answer her questions honestly and holding nothing back. Understand?" I warned. He nodded quickly, not wanting to displease the giant man standing behind him.

"Why?" Hawke asked.

"You remember Lothering, don't you Hawke? The farmlands we all had. The lovely houses. Food was plentiful. Clean water. There's nothing like that here. Aye, you've done your best to help but the locals… They hate us, look down their noses, like we're scum of the earth. I just wanted our life back, be comfortable again."

I looked at Hawke. She nodded so I removed my hand. "Things could be a hell of a lot worse, Sabin. But now you're going to cooperate with me. Tell me how to stop the next ambush."

Sabin shook his head. "Soon as I tell Hubert what he wants to know, he'll kill me or thrown me in prison." He shook his head again, watching his entire body slump in the chair. "My life's not worth much," he muttered, "But my wife and son… I only wanted to give them a better life." He looked up and added, "Just like yours."

Hawke crouched down again. "You help me, I'll help you. Don't worry about Hubert, we can deal with him. Just tell us what we need to know."

Hawke disappeared as I remained standing next to Sabin. She quickly returned, stating Hubert had gone out, so she'd go find him. Once she disappeared, I offered Sabin a drink and he seemed to relax a little bit. Neither Varric or I talked to him, and I guess I was still being intimidating. Varric sat back and wondered who was involved. I guess he was trying to get Sabin to react, but the man sat there in the chair like his whole world had collapsed.

Hubert returned within half an hour, now flanked by a man to one side, and a woman to his other. Hubert introduced her as 'Lilley of the Coterie'. Apparently she was a 'consultant'. She scoffed at that title. I figured she was likely some sort of thief or bandit herself. Maybe even involved. I remained silent and just waited.

Sabin provided the information we needed without hesitation. There would be an ambush somewhere called Dietrich Crossing. The only problem is that the ambush would be the same night. That didn't much time for preparation, perhaps organising an ambush of our own. We'd just have to show up, deal with them, and hopefully protect the shipment.

Lilley then offered to 'deal' with Sabin. That's when I stepped forward and, once again, simply intimidated. She met my eyes and I simply stared back at her, the same sort of stare that made even the hardest of men wilt. Hawke then cleared hear throat. "No, we won't need any more deaths. In this instance, I'm willing to show mercy."

Hubert wasn't happy, but once Hawke explained her reasoning, he backed off. He didn't agree out of the goodness of his heart, that was for sure, but once Hawke mentioned things like 'loyalty', he was quickly swayed. Sabin was happy to be alive, even if he no longer had a job. Lilley left immediately, stating she would catch up with her Coterie chums and would protect the shipment. Hawke, Varric and I departed ourselves, ready to collect our colleagues.

Merrill and Isabela joined us and we made haste out of Kirkwall. It wasn't as far as I thought it was, and we met Lilley along the way. Any hope we made it in time vanished when we heard screams and fighting, rounding a corner to see the caravan being annihilated. I unsheathed and attacked straight away, noticing Lilley was a dual wielder and rather talented. Hawke joined in alongside, and while I won't say we made short work of the bandits, it was immediately clear they were used to attacking undefended targets, as they were hopeless at working together.

They did have a leader of some sort, trying to get them organised, but once most of his companions were dead, he could either make a break for it or fight to the death. Credit to him, I watched his face turn and he simply went on the attack. Stupidly, he thought attacking me was the best bet, I guess believing that if I went down, the rest would be easier. But one of the earliest rules I'd learned while training was never fight when angry. You don't think clearly and make mistakes. That's exactly what he did, so after I'd cut him more than once, I put him out of his misery.

Sheathing my weapon, Hawke muttered that something just didn't add up. Lilley then called our attention. "I know this one," she stated, crouching over one of the bodies.

"You do?" I asked, all of us gathered around.

"Aye, he's in the Coterie. One of that damned fool Brekker's men."

"What the hell is this Coterie?" I asked. Lilley wouldn't answer that, simply glaring at me, so Hawke asked instead, "Who's Brekker?"

"Leader of the Kirkwall Coterie. There's no doubt he's behind this… probably." She sighed. "Look, before you go marching into their headquarters, let me make sure first. If you're guessing you'll find in Darktown, you'll be right. Meet me there later. You'll know where to go as it's rather obvious."

We walked back to Kirkwall together, it still being only early afternoon. Lilley advised us to wait at least a couple of hours. The five of us passed the time back at Hawke's estate. Leandra mothering us as usual. Though we turned down the offer of a refreshing alcoholic beverage, we were certainly not going to turn down the offer of food, a good fight always leaving me with an appetite.

Keeping an eye on the sun, we waited until it was low in the sky before moving, heading to Darktown and thinking finding Anders to help out might not be such a bad idea, particularly if we were heading into Coterie headquarters. I'd asked Hawke about them as we ate, and she didn't know much. Varric, however, was full of information, and it was as I assumed. Thieves guild. Dealt with them back in Skyrim. That made me believe Hubert was no doubt paying them off for his own reasons, but if they were willing to protect shipments, then I guess it was money well spent.

After finding Anders, who was happy to help out as always, we asked around for the Coterie. More than one person was happy to point us in the right direction and I wasn't the only one to see tiny symbols on the occasional wall. "They're telling us we're heading in the right direction," Varric told us, "We'd best be careful. They'll be watching us."

Then we found Lilley. Or, at least, we'd found her body. No marks on her except the slit across her throat, placed exactly where we would find her. Hawke and I crouched over the body for any other signs, perhaps information she may have gathered. Of course, leaving her body there was a ruse, as we were quickly surrounded by who I assumed were her colleagues.

Accusations flew thick and fast from them. We remained silent until one of them asked a simple question. "Did you kill her?"

"No. Lilley didn't die by our hand. Look at the wound. She was clearly executed," I replied.

"By who then?"

"Lilley has been help us find out who has been attacking the caravans. She recognised one of the bodies as someone who worked for Brekker. Lilley said she would look into it. I assume that's what got her killed," Hawke replied.

For some reason, they believed us as the woman questioning us said they would investigate themselves. They warned they'd be back, but I had a feeling we'd probably never see them again. The moment Hawke mentioned Brekker, there was obvious discomfort from the others, while her face told me everything we needed to know.

Infiltrating their actual headquarters found us under attack relatively quickly. As most thieves were rogues, as it made sense, most were duel-wielding bastards, smaller and quicker than myself. Thankfully, we had two mages on our side, who scared the life out of them with some of their attacks, Hawke and I simply linking shields and defending the others, swinging at anyone who dared come close. There wasn't a lot of space to move, and our progress was slow, methodical, and we took wounds along the way.

The Coterie definitely had lots of bodies to send our way, and whenever we were outnumbered, we simply pulled back to one of the narrow corridors, and in their desperation to attack, they didn't realise what we were doing. Hawke and I worked together, one attacking, one defending, Varric with his crossbow, Isabela unusually with her bow, the two mages at the rear, raining destruction upon the enemy.

Stepping over their bodies, I assumed we would be getting close, eventually walking out into what seemed to be a cavern of sorts. Ahead lay what remained of the Coterie. A rather large man stepped forward to greet us, flanked by a pair of archers. Putting a hand behind my back, I signalled Varric, who would have signalled the two mages behind. I'd been in this situation enough times to be ready for anything.

"You must be Brekker," Hawke stated.

"And you're that lice-covered refugee," he retorted.

I gave the signal, Varric, Isabela, Merrill and Anders fired their weapons, and I used my Thu'um. I may have given my word to the Greybeards to follow The Way of the Voice, but sometimes, people just piss me off. And I knew there'd be no talking sense into Brekker. His screams may have haunted others as he burned to a crisp, but I just figured he was another thief better off dead.

With their leader dead, any other Coterie broke ranks and ran. None of us bothered chasing them. If the Coterie still existed in Kirkwall after this, it was going to take years for them to rebuild. The only thing I would have suggested to Hawke is that we be careful.

"Feel better, Uhtred?" Hawke asked as we inspected the body.

"That was just rude. I'll check Bethany for lice later, though."

"Uh-huh. I assure you I don't have any."

"Want me to check?"

She playfully slapped my shoulder. "Behave yourself." She paused before adding, "Thank you, Uhtred. I'm still not sure how we ended up working together, but we always manage to come out alive. And I'm still amazed at that gift of yours."

"Thanks aren't necessary. We're generally trying to do what is right, not only for us, but the people too."

Leaving Darktown, the sun had disappeared so we agreed to split up for the evening and head home. While I may have been tempted to head down to the tavern, I knew Bethany would be waiting at home for me. Walking inside, there was a delightful smell wafting in from the kitchen, walking in to see Bethany with apron on, hard at work over the pot. I leaned against the door frame and simply watched her until she sensed my presence. Soon as she did, I quickly found myself cuddled and kissed.

I'll admit right now, Bethany Hawke is a tremendous cook, though when I stated as much, she admitted that most of what she knew came from her mother. That's what I figured too.

Settling on the lounge by the fire, she asked about my day as always, and just like her sister, she was thankful that I was around to help. I figured Hawke was more than capable of looking after herself, considering her own considerable talents, but Bethany was happy that I was around all the same. "Plus, if you weren't here, we'd have never met."

She was right, of course. And after relaxing for a couple of hours, I found myself grabbed by the hand, wishing our servants goodnight, before led upstairs. After our recent conversation, Bethany explained what she wanted as we undressed.

We both went to sleep rather tired later that evening.

You know that old saying of 'when it rains, it pours'. Well, poor Marian Hawke seemed to have no luck with that mine of hers. If it wasn't people trying to rob caravans, or miners laying down their tools demanding better working conditions (which I did agree with to a point), then mines were perfect places to find themselves infested with all sorts of creatures, and this time, apparently it was spiders making their lives a living hell.

The first I knew of it was when our entire group was sharing a drink at the Hanged Man. Varric was regaling all with a story that I swear he was making up on the spot. No wonder he sold so many books. That man had an overactive imagination. I was sitting back and relaxing, chuckling away, Bethany moulded into my side on my right, Hawke chatting away quietly to my left. I heard her mention something about her mine which perked my interest.

"What's going on now?" I wondered.

"It never stops with that bloody mine, Uhtred. I've managed to keep my miners happy by offering them longer breaks and slightly shorter days, but now they refuse to dig because the mine is infested. I think they broke open a new cavern and spiders came flooding out."

I shuddered. I hate spiders. Bethany felt that and giggled. "Big, scary Uhtred scared of some little spiders."

"Trust me, the bastards I deal with are not small. I still remember that spider queen we dealt with in the Deep Roads. In fact, the entirety of Ortan Thaig confirmed how much I hate the bastards."

Varric's story stopped. "Ortan Thaig? You've been there, Uhtred?"

"Aye, while I was helping King Aedan during the Blight. Sure I've mentioned Paragon Branka before?"

"In passing. But seriously? Ortan Thaig? We haven't been there as a people for nigh on four hundred years. One of the many thaigs where the darkspawn drove us out."

I nodded. "If it wasn't for the spiders and darkspawn, the dwarves could move back in tomorrow. But the spiders… By Ysmir, I don't frighten easily. I've taken on the biggest, scariest monsters you can imagine. But there was just something about that place which made my hair stand on end."

"So you won't help me up at the Bone Pit?" Hawke asked.

"Oh, I'll help you as I'll just use my Thu'um. Against spiders, Way of the Voice doesn't count."

"When does it count?" Bethany asked.

"I have an agreement with the Greybeards that I would not abuse my powers, that I would only use them when necessary. I try not to use my Thu'um against man or mer… unless there are extenuating circumstances. Against dragons, yes, I use it, though dragons on this world are different. They don't speak in the same tongue. As for spiders, yes, absolutely, definitely. I'll breath fire and burn the bastards." I turned back to Varric. "That's what we did in Ortan Thaig. The Dragonborn and the mages burned everything. The smell… Ugh, it was horrific. I wasn't the only one to lose his breakfast."

"And I thought our expedition was bad," he muttered.

"Aye, my whole experience in the Deep Roads was pretty rough. I really don't recommend the Deep Roads at all."

"So, are you coming to the Bone Pit?" Hawke asked.

"Oh, of course. When are we going?"

"We'll head up tomorrow morning. One of my lead miners will meet us and let us know the situation."

Bethany and I woke the next morning for breakfast, Gawen knocking on the door, letting us know it would be ready soon. She threw on a simple gown as I dressed ready to head out once I'd finished eating. I asked Bethany if she was going to join us, replying she was now rather content remaining at home, joking that there was almost no point having any servants. Her apparent role in life was changing rather quickly, and I did mention that she didn't…

"All I want is a family," she stated softly, leaning across to put a finger on my lips, "And I feel I remain here, without any stress, and most importantly happy, then it will happen. I know you will be fine out there, Uhtred. I don't have to worry about you."

"Glad you're so confident."

"I've seen you fight, Uhtred. I've seen your gift. The only people who need worry are those who stand in your way defiant."

Finishing breakfast, Bethany saw me off at the door, sharing a kiss before I turned to leave. "I love you, Uhtred Dragonborn."

That cause me to stop and turn around. Though we had shared our feelings, for her to say it so openly and… there was something in her tone. I strode back towards her and kissed her again, pressing her up against the door. When she whimpered, I pulled back slightly, gazing in her eyes. "Well, I love you too, Bethany Hawke."

"I always think positively, Uhtred, but… I'm praying every day at the moment." She grabbed my hand and placed it at her belly. "The Maker will provide."

I lifted my hand to caress her cheek, a smile forming instantly as she closed her eyes. "I'll pray to my gods as well. But I'd better go. Got big ugly things to take care of."

"Don't take too long. Miss you already."

Not sure what had gotten into her, but I was liking it. I kissed her again, not for too long, before I pulled away and headed towards the Hawke estate. No surprise to see Hawke and Isabela waiting outside, along with Merrill, Anders and Fenris. Varric was busy with some of his business dealings, while Aveline was a friend but was usually far too busy with the guard to join us in our own issues.

The six of us heading out of Kirkwall once again, the path to the Bone Pit seemingly well-trodden nowadays. When it was actually open, the miners were digging up plenty of ore to sell, and though I wasn't aware of all the details, I knew Hawke was making plenty of coin, in addition to all her other business interests. She needed to do that to make sure she could afford her mansion.

It took a couple of hours to make the mining camp, situated a good distance back from the mine entrance. I guess they worried about spiders coming out of the mine and attacking them. Most seemed to recognise Hawke, as I know she tried to visit often, getting to know most of them, and we ended up chatting with one of the managers, fellow by the name of Jansen.

"Crankovich was clearing out a collapse section when giant spiders poured out the new opening. They got him, poor sot. Rest of us made it out, but now we're sitting here with our thumb up our arses."

"Can you give us a number?" I wondered.

"No, Ser Dragonborn." Yep, I was rather well known as well. Hawke and I were practically a double act nowadays. I'm sure some people assumed we were together in more than one sense. I guess Hawke kept her private life just that. "We got out of there as soon as we could. I guess we must have been near their home or something as they don't seem to want to come outside."

As we approached the entrance to the mine, there'd certainly been a lot of work since I was last up there. New tracks so carts could move ore around. Some new entrances, I guess because new veins had been found. I guess Hawke was spending money as much as she made it.

Walking inside, I'll admit experiencing that familiar sensation again, hairs standing on end. I unsheathed immediately, hearing everyone else do the same, walking forward carefully. Somehow, I found myself in the lead and hissed the fact.

"You have your Thu'um," Hawke hissed in return.

Didn't take long to find the first spiders. I wasted no time at all.

"YOL… TOOR… SHUL…"

The first few spiders went up in flames, the mages quickly adding their own. Spiders came from everywhere. Above us. Around us. I called everyone to close ranks and fight them off. The mages made sure they were not bunched together as they launched one fire attack after another. Fenris weaved his broadsword like an artist, cutting down spiders left and right. Hawke was holding her own at the same time.

Moving forward, I could see the queen in the distance. It was hanging back for the moment. Well, that was until I Shouted again, drew it's attention, and she came straight towards us.

"Attack!" I cried. The two mages fired immediately, using area effect spells so the queen went up in flames. Bitch didn't go down easily though, and we had to finally split up as it leapt towards us. Fenris took the lead, swinging his sword in great swooping arcs, distracting it so Hawke and I could come in from the side, stabbing it enough that it eventually turned towards me.

"FUS… RO.. DAH!"

The spider didn't have time to respond, flying away ended over end. The mages kept attacking as Fenris, Hawke and I charged, hacking away at its body. The smell was disgusting, causing all three of us to gag. But the queen was soon dead as I used my Thu'um one last time to make sure of it.

Walking away, we searched for any lingering spiders. We found a few and killed those easily, using my Thu'um time and again. Finding the collapsed section that had been cleared, we managed to move some rocks out of the way and entered an enormous cavern, filled with webs. Merrill and Anders burned them completely. One or two spiders appeared, but by the time we were finished, the spiders were dead, their webs burned, and the mine thankfully cleared.

Heading out, I stopped and shuddered on purpose. "Gods, I hate those bloody things," I muttered.

"That queen was enormous!" Isabela exclaimed, "And the smell…. Blergh…"

"Yeah, think we'll all need a wash when we get home," Hawke stated, and even I noticed the look she gave Isabela. The rogue returned a grin which suggested she had her own ideas. I just chuckled away to myself. "Well, I think you lot at least know about it so it's not a big deal."

Jansen was delighted to hear the mine was now clear, and Hawke just gave a gentle warning about opening up any new paths. Otherwise, the workers were happy to head straight back in, telling them to ignore the carcasses, as we'd burned most of them anyway, and there shouldn't be any spider sacs left, as we'd burned everything possible.

Making it back to Kirkwall with the last light of the day, we avoided our usual post-fight drink at the Hanged Man, all of us wanting to head for to get the smell of us. Though Bethany was pleased to see me as always after I wandered inside, she took one sniff and gagged. "Right, out of your clothes. I'll get Gawen to fill up the tub."

"Do I smell that bad?"

"Spiders, right?" I nodded, "Makers breath, it's beyond foul, Uhtred."

Laughing away, figuring she was right, I headed upstairs to change, Bethany grabbing anything I'd worn so it could be wash or scrubbed. Heading to the water closet, Gawen was already filling the tub, and there was soap available I could use. I was sitting back and relaxing when Bethany wandered in soon afterwards, locking and closing the door, then disrobing. Smiling at all the flesh on show, she told me to sit up as she squeezed in behind me.

She was soon washing my hair and beard, making sure I smelled and felt clean again, before I leaned back against her. "Well, this is certainly relaxing. Lying back against a naked woman is an added bonus, of course."

"Had to make sure you cleaned yourself properly." She put a nose to my head and sniffed. "Much better. Now you just smell like you again."

"Glad you approve."

We relaxed together until the water started to turn cool. Hopping out, we were drying each other off when she had a look in her eye I was starting to recognise. When she kissed me, I knew how the next few minutes to hour was going to go. Unlocking the door, I escorted her by hand to the bedroom, stopping at the top of the stairs. "Gawen?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"We'll be down for dinner in around an hour or so. That okay?"

"Of course, my lord."

The tone in his voice suggested he knew exactly what we were going to do. He wasn't wrong.