After a few more rounds, Roderick leans forward to trail a couple kisses along the back of Ana's neck before removing himself from her. He collapses on the blankets and beckons her toward him with a grin.
"Maker, I need a bath." Ana grimaces as she pushes the sweaty strands of hair that plastered themselves to the side of her face. "I think perhaps I should ask Duncan tomorrow about where to bathe." Her face scrunches up as she crawls over and curls up by his side. "Somehow I have a feeling I'm not going to like the options unless there's another uncorrupted hot spring nearby."
As she curls her bare leg around his, he reaches over to grab the blanket and pulls it over them. Hugging her close, he chuckles. "I hear you there. I can only imagine how horrible I smell."
A brief silence fills the tent as Ana runs her hands through the fine coppery hairs at the center of her lover's chest. She watches as her fingers trace shapes into the hair, mesmerized before she finally speaks. "I can't believe it's just us now." She mutters, a frown tugging at the corners of her lips. "Who knew our lives would turn out like this?" Her eyes flick up to meet his. "I've had a lot of time to think, Rory."
He raises a brow. "About?"
Reaching up to touch his cheek, her eyes move down as her fingertips graze the dark stubble that had begun to grow in the past couple weeks. "Everything." She mutters. "My family, the Wardens, Us…."
At the last part, his brows furrow. "Us?" He frowns. "Are you having second thoughts?"
"No!" She exclaims, her hand flattening and pressing against his chest. "I love you, Rory." Her eyes flick between his as if searching for something. "I was more thinking about what we spoke about during our last night together at the castle." Propping herself up on her elbow, she looks at him. "My answer is yes."
For a moment, his brows crease before he realizes what she means. His brows shoot up. "Really?"
She nods. "Yes. If that's still what you want."
"Oh, my love…" He breathes, smiling up at her. "Of course, I still want to marry you!" His brows suddenly draw together as he reaches up to cup her cheek. "But are you absolutely sure? I don't want you to feel forced or to do it because you believe you have no other options. I mean, you said…"
She presses a finger to his lips to silence him as his eyes watch hers. "I know I said that I wanted to enjoy being young and in love but…" Her voice cracks and she tries to hold back the tears. Rory reaches up to grab her hand and kisses it. She closes her eyes and leans into his hand cupping her cheek. When she opens them once more, he sees the sorrowful tears beginning to form as her eyes glow brilliantly in the nearby light from the lantern.
"Over these past couple weeks, our lives have become so chaotic and unpredictable that I'm afraid…" She pauses for a moment, her eyes reflecting the pain and sorrow of the past. Just seeing her in such a state breaks his heart but he can't think of the words to say. What does one say to somebody who has had her whole life ripped to shreds?
He lies there silently as she continues. "We don't know what tomorrow brings." She states as she meets his sympathetic gaze. "We're about to fight a war that we might die in and the thought of living my life without you is… unthinkable."
Hearing this, he smiles at her and tucks a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. "I couldn't agree more, Darling."
She nods. "If we're going to die in this war, I want to die as your wife." Leaning forward, she presses her forehead against his. "Maker, I love you…"
"And I love you." He whispers. Pulling away, he stretches a hand out toward his pile of discarded clothes and digs around for something as Ana looks on curiously. With a small triumphant noise, he sits up and turns to her. She raises a curious brow and he smiles. "I was going to wait until later to give you these but I guess now would be appropriate."
Hugging the blanket to her chest, she sits up and watches as he takes her hand and places something in her palm. She shoots him a curious look as she opens her hand. The tears she had been holding back break free as she glances down at the necklace before letting the blanket drop from her chest as her arms encircle his neck.
He chuckles as she releases him and looks once more at her palm before her brows crease. She shakes her head. "I don't understand… how?" She looks up at him.
He shrugs. "After you left with Duncan, I went back to the larder." He explains. "I was hoping to knock out one of Howe's men to steal his uniform to allow me to move around and gather supplies. Your mother was killed and they left your father to die from his wounds…"
He watches as Ana's lower lip trembles. "How did she die?" She asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
For a moment, he almost didn't want to tell her. "Love, maybe…"
"Tell me." She demands. "Please..."
He looks away from her for a moment. "She was shot in the heart. She died instantly." She lowers her head and he presses on. "Your father told me to take your mother's necklace and their rings so Howe couldn't touch them." He frowns. "He said that they were meant to be passed down to you anyways."
She nods, her eyes misting at the sight of them. The necklace was something she saw her mother wear every day and had dreamt of when it would be passed down to her. Unlike the beautiful dresses her mother wore each day, it had a thin leather strap that bore a simple metal pendant carved with runes. It had once belonged to her own mother before she passed. When she was still a famous raider, she once told Ana, she would always wear it because it always brought her luck. Yet, now as Ana stared down at the pendant and two rings tied to it, it seemed like the unluckiest trinket in all of Thedas.
Closing her hand over it, she clamps her eyes shut and allows the tears to roll freely down her cheeks. "Thank you again, Rory." She finally whispers, her voice taking on a sorrowful hollowness that he had never heard before. "This means a lot to me."
She looks down once more at the pendent as her hand tightens around it. "May I?" He asks. She looks at him and he motions to her hand. She nods and hands it back to him before turning her bare back to him. Pulling her hair from her neck, she inhales a shaky breath as the cold metal of both the rings and pendant touch her skin. Once fastened, she touches it and feels a new wave of grief wash over her and turns to bury her face in his chest as tears begin to stream down her cheeks.
Pulling her to him, they lie back down and he strokes her hair as he mutters comforting things as she sobs into his chest.
As the lantern began to die down, they laid together in the dark, listening to the occasional whistle of wind outside the tent or Much's occasional snore. Finally, after what seemed like an hour or two had passed, Ana pulls away from her lover's embrace. "What's wrong?" Rory whispers as he sees her turn from him to grab her clothes.
"I need to return to Duncan's tent." She mutters, feeling around her clothes to find her trousers in the dark. She pauses as he places a hand on her back before feeling him place a couple kisses on her side and lower back.
"If you must." He sighs, trying to be playful. She frowns at the sadness that rings through and turns to look at him.
"I just don't want him to worry about where I've gone." She states, reaching over to give his leg a light squeeze. "Had I the choice, I would stay here with you." She smiles sadly. "After all, it would be nice to finally spend the entire night with you."
He sits up and cups her cheek to turn her face to him. "I know." He mutters, brushing his lips against hers. "Soon we will be together. Forever this time."
Quickly they get changed and Rory holds the flap open for Ana as she exits. She shivers slightly as the cold breeze hits her in the face and hugs her arms tightly around herself. Much once more raises his head and, seeing his mistress, jumps up with a happy bark. Quieting him, she kneels before him and chuckles, grimacing as he licks her face.
Together the three of them walk toward the lit trail leading back toward the main part of the fortress. They pass the Grey Warden dormitory and mess tents when somebody quickly rushes past them. Ana scowls at them as they scuttle ahead, hastily trying to tuck their undershirt back in their trousers. Her brows draw together as she recognizes the man as she sees his dirty blond hair in the light of the torches. "Alistair?" She calls out. Immediately, the lad halts and slowly swivels around. Seeing her, his face reddens as he recalls the action that had just taken place in the shadows and quickly clears his throat.
"Ah…there you are." He says, offering up a smile as he approaches. His eyes shift briefly toward Ser Gilmore before returning to Ana.
"What are you doing out here, Alistair?" She sighs, annoyed. "I thought you would be snoring away in the Grey Warden tent by now."
Straightening, he smiles at her which only makes her scowl at him. "Normally I would be dreaming about little baby mabaris jumping over a fence in a meadow by now, but Duncan couldn't find you so he sent me out to find you."
"Well you found me." She snaps. "Now you can run along."
"Now, now Ana…" Ser Gilmore frowns, glancing over. "He seems to have gone out of his way to come find you."
She scowls at him and Alistair's brows raise in surprise. He turns to face him.
"And you are?"
"Name's Roderick." He grins, holding out a hand. "I'm guessing you're Alistair."
Annoyed that he's being ignored, Much barks before Alistair has a chance to answer and all eyes turn to him. Ana shushes him which does little as Alistair motions to him.
"Oh, are you an ash warrior?" He asks Roderick before kneeling before Much. He smiles at the hound. "I've always wanted a mabari like you."
Much gives a low bark and lowers his head as an invitation to be petted. "Traitor." Ana mutters earning a whine from Much and a chuckle from Rory.
"Actually, this is Much." Rory introduces as Alistair coos and happily rubs the hound behind his ears. He motions to a sour looking Ana beside him. "He belongs to La—"
Before he can reveal who she is, Ana's eyes widen and she nudges him which earns her a confused look. Luckily, Alistair is so busy with the hound that he hardly notices the exchange as Ana leans toward Rory slightly. "Not many people know who I am." She hisses before Alistair turns his attention to her.
"He belongs to who?"
"Me." She says impatiently. "Now if you could be a good little messenger boy, you can go inform Duncan that you found me and that I'm on my way right now." She shoos him away. "Go on."
Rising, he frowns. "Would it kill you to be nice just once?"
"Probably." Ana sneers. "Please leave before I have to find out."
"Ana." Rodrick gently warns, frowning. She shoots him a glare which he ignores before turning to offer a friendly smile to the lad. "Please forgive her. It's been a rough couple of weeks for her and she's still adjusting to everything. I believe what she really meant to say was that if you can report back to the Warden-Commander that you have found her and that she's on her way, we would greatly appreciate it."
Alistair's brows shoot up as his eyes shift between the two of them. Ana rolls her eyes. "Rory, you don't need to speak for me." She begins to snip. As she begins to bicker with her friend, Alistair stares at him as he tries to think of where he's heard the name 'Rory' before. Before he can think of it, Ana swivels to glare at him.
"Are you seriously still standing here?" She sneers. "Go!"
Abruptly pulled from his thoughts, he stares at her with incomprehension for a moment before realizing what she said. Shooting another curious glance at Roderick before turning on his heel and marching back to the main encampment. I wonder how common the name Rory is around here?