Alistair

Alistair knocked on the door to the Inquisitor's private quarters, where he'd been invited to dine with her. A servant opened and four of his guards positioned themselves outside the door.

"Come in, Your Majesty." The servant held his arm out, motioning for Alistair to enter the room. A small table with two chairs was set up in front of the fireplace. "The Inquisitor will be with you shortly." Alistair sat down and the servant poured him some wine before he disappeared out the door. His eyes scanned the room. It was luxurious, not unlike his own bedroom back in the Royal Palace. He took a sip of the wine and turned his head when he heard the door open and close again. He almost spurted the mouthful of red liquid back out when he saw Ashe standing leaning against the door.

Maker, what is she wearing?

His eyes roamed over her body. She was wearing leather leggings, so tight that he wished that she would turn around so he could see how they hugged the curve of her ass. Her upper body was covered, or not so covered, by a black and red corset made of lace and leather. Her breasts were pushed together in the most delicious way and her shoulders and her arms were completely bare.

Alistair cleared his throat and stood up as she walked towards the table. He swept his eyes across her form again before he took her hand in his, bringing it up to his face to kiss it for the fourth time that day.

"My Lady Ashe, had I known you intended to torture me like this, I would have... No, who am I kidding, I would have come either way." He smiled at her and she raised her eyebrows in mock surprise.

"Whatever do you mean, Your Majesty?" She smiled sweetly at him. That look of innocence on her face and the absolute sin of her body made him want to throw her on the bed and claim her as his own.

"I think you know what I mean, dearest Ashe. You look ravishing." He took another step closer to her and placed his hand on her waist while still holding her other hand close to his lips. Her smile turned wicked. "Careful now, I have a limit to what I can endure and I cannot answer for what happens when that limit is reached," he said, his tone dropped to little more than a growl.

The tension in the air was so thick he could almost taste it. What this woman did to him was completely new to him. She had barely entered the room yet and here they were; a heartbeat from being all over each other, breathing hard and staring at each other.

Ashe finally seemed to compose herself. "You're a delight, Your Majesty. But surely, you must be starving by now."

"Mhmm." He let his eyes dip lower again, completely unashamed. She wasn't wearing what she was to be modest. "I certainly am."

She giggled and Alistair looked up at her face again. He'd almost forgotten how young she was. He found himself suddenly wanting to know everything about her.

He reluctantly let go of her hand and pulled out one of the chairs for her. She sat down and nodded her thanks to him before he sat down on the opposite side. They both grabbed some food from the plates in front of them in silence. The air was still charged with tension and he watched her every move.

"So, Your Majesty, how..."

"Please, Ashe," he interrupted her. "Call me Alistair. We're equals, are we not?"

She regarded him with an expression that was hard to read, leaning her head ever so slightly to the side while doing so. What went on in her pretty head was still a mystery to him, but he intended to find out every last detail, sooner or later.

"If you insist, Alistair." She smiled and he found himself grinning back at her. They sat like that for several seconds, just staring at each other, until Ashe finally started eating. Alistair did the same.

"How is Skyhold treating you?" she asked between bites of the delicious food.

"It's very impressive. You've done wonders here, I have no doubt most of it is your doing."

"I've had lots of help. From our people and our soldiers, and my companions most of all."

"Ah, yes, your companions. They're almost as famous as you. I've corresponded with Ambassador Montilyet a few times, and everyone has heard of Seeker Pentaghast. Leliana I know since the Blight, as I'm sure you know. We traveled together for a long time."

Ashe's eyes lit up. "You simply must tell me all about your adventures during the Blight someday. I can't wait to hear all the juicy stuff about Leliana."

"Just say the word and everything is yours." He winked at her and judging from the smug smile on her face, she liked what she was hearing.

"I've met your Commander once as well, you know."

He expected her to stiffen at that but she didn't move an inch and didn't show in any way if she already knew that or not.

"Oh? He never said." Her tone betrayed what her body did not. So Cullen had told her of their encounter.

Interesting.

"In the broken Circle, I'm sure you've heard the story of what happened there during the Blight. It was sad, really... Poor man. I'm glad he's doing better these days."

Ashe didn't say anything.

"Are the two of you involved in some way?" he asked.

She looked a bit surprised at his question, which pleased him. It told him a lot about her to get these kinds of reactions out of her.

"That's a rather personal question."

"He looked at me like he wanted to rip my throat out today, that's rather personal as well, wouldn't you agree?" His tone was intentionally hard.

She frowned and looked irritated. "That was unacceptable, he shouldn't have acted like that." She sighed before continuing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that it was too personal. You can ask me anything you like. We're not together, if that's what you're wondering."

Alistair shook his head and let out a low chuckle while plucking at the food on his plate.

"What?" Ashe sought his eyes, her face curious and amused. He kept looking casually over the various dishes on the table when he spoke next.

"The man's clearly an idiot. How he could ever leave you alone is beyond me. If I were in his shoes, here, working so close to you all this time..."

"Yes?" Her eyes were glowing with expectation. He raised his gaze to her.

"Let's just say I wouldn't be such a fool."

She couldn't help a smile from spreading across her face - he could see her struggle with it and lose. His comment had pleased her. He raised his glass and she did the same, and they both drank deeply of the wine.

"What about you, Alistair? Haven't you met anybody of interest yet?"

He laughed and drank again before answering.

"I won't lie and say I live like a chaste man. I like women. I love them, actually. But you of all people probably know how hard it is to be in our kind of position. I'm sure you receive a constant stream of proposals."

She laughed softly and swallowed the last of her wine. Alistair immediately refilled her glass when she set it down. "Do I ever... It's relentless, isn't it? Maker, none of them can take a hint either. Has it at least calmed down for you know these days?"

"Andraste, I wish it had. It's the other way around, sadly. The longer I remain unmarried, the more desperate they become, they're so sure I will pick a wife at random any moment now." He smiled and she laughed again.

"You're still young, Alistair. You can't be a day over thirty."

"That's observant of you. I'm not, actually. But in two weeks I will be."

"Really?" She looked excited. "The King's thirtieth birthday! How have I not heard of this? Josie always pesters me with these sorts of things, and the one time it's actually something interesting, she doesn't tell me!"

Alistair chuckled. "I'm glad you find it interesting. That's actually part of the reason for my visit. I want to personally invite you to the celebrations as my highest guest of honor."

Ashe

He wants to what?

Excitement rushed through her as Alistair's words sunk in.

"I know you've done several similar things at Empress Celene's gatherings," he continued. "I don't want Orlais to steal all your attention, Ferelden needs ties to the Inquisition just as much as they do."

Oh.

Ashe's excitement instantly shriveled and dropped down into a ball in her stomach.

"Of course, that's the official reason. The real one is a bit more selfish on my part." He smiled widely at her and she tried not to get her hopes up about what he was going to say next, but it was difficult as she watched his dazzling, charming smile. "The truth is, I'd like nothing more that to have a beautiful, intelligent woman by my side that night, one I know is there because she truly wants to be and doesn't spend the entire evening sucking up to me. Maker, it would even be refreshing if you threw a couple of insults my way instead."

She laughed at that and felt herself warm to his suggestion again. If he wanted her there for just being her...

"I would love to, Alistair."

He looked very pleased. "I'm glad to hear it." His voice rumbled from deep within his chest and Ashe could feel heat rising in her cheeks. Her entire body tingled when he spoke like that. "Finally something I want for my birthday."

He looked entirely serious and Ashe almost melted under his gaze. By the Maker, how he looked at her...

Just like Cullen looked at her. She didn't feel guilty for enjoying Alistair's attention, though. Her Commander had had a long time to make his move and it was so typically male that he'd waited until someone else showed interest, suddenly in such a hurry to be possessive. He had thought he'd been so smart, making her beg for more of him earlier that day, and in a way she guessed it had been smart since she did have a hard time trying not to think about him. But leaving her hot and horny, right before she'd be alone with his rival, that was not very clever of him.

The King really looked like he wanted to devour her now, just like Cullen had said earlier. And she wanted him to. She wouldn't let him, not yet. But Maker, how she wanted.

She needed to change the subject.

"Tell me about the celebrations, what's the plan?"

They talked for a long time, first about the his upcoming birthday and then about their adventures. She told him stories from her time in the Inquisition and he of his time during the Blight. She found him to be utterly fascinating and realized that she was doomed. One of the two most handsome men she'd ever seen, and definitely one of the most interesting people she'd talked to, ever. Maybe she should just let them fight over her and she'd pick the one who won, because how the fuck would she ever be able to choose?

Hold your horses, Ashe, you don't even know if the King wants to...

But who was she trying to fool? She knew men, all their tells, their body language. Even if the King was unusual, he was still a man. And she could tell what this man wanted, too. She didn't know how much he wanted from her, but in some capacity he definitely did.

"It's been a lovely evening, Ashe. I would have liked to do this again before I leave, but there's so little time. Tomorrow is the last night I'm here before I need to return to my duties at home, and I should think it would seem rude of me not to dine with the rest of your inner circle then."

Ashe nodded. "That's true, Josephine would die if she missed such an opportunity." She smiled fondly thinking of her friend. Alistair rose from his chair and walked over to the door and she followed. "Perhaps I can show you around a bit more tomorrow morning, before my meetings. Or maybe you would prefer to sleep in?"

Alistair snorted. "Sleep, rather than spend time with such a beautiful woman? You must be mad. I can think of a million things I'd rather do than sleep while I'm here. Unless that sleeping involves you somehow, of course..."

Ashe almost laughed with delight at his brazen words but settled with answering his smirk with one of her own. He caught her hand in his and she expected him to kiss the top of it again but he quickly turned it over and planted a soft kiss on her wrist instead. She let a small sound escape her mouth. It felt so unexpectedly intimate. He took her other hand in his free one and kissed her left wrist as well. He was holding both of her hands in his now. He was so warm. He pulled her closer, his face mere inches away from hers, his lips so close, Maker...

She couldn't stop staring at those lips.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, I'm screwed now.

He was so close she could feel his breath on her face.

"I can hardly wait for tomorrow, Ashe. I wish you a good night." He leaned in for what was probably supposed to be a kiss on the cheek, but it seemed he couldn't help himself and she drew in a sharp breath when he kissed the corner of her mouth, the small space where their lips met burning hot as white flames. His breathing sounded just as irregular as hers and his touch lingered on her for several seconds before he let go of her.

"Good night, Alistair."

He gave her one last dazzling smile before he opened her door and slipped out, closing it behind him.

Alistair

Alistair felt more than pleased as he left the Inquisitor's quarters, his guards in tow. She was truly a fascinating woman, and Andraste, she was as sexy as they came. He was sure that if he'd kissed her back there when he'd said goodnight, she wouldn't have objected in the slightest, quite the opposite. She was hard to read, he gave her that, but her eyes burned when he looked at her with desire of his own. But he needed to play this just right. If she'd been one of the usual women around him, he would have taken her to bed straight away and fucked her senseless and be done with her. But Ashe was not a usual woman. He was glad to have found that the more she talked, the more he wanted to know. Her experiences and her views on life - what little he'd learned in their far too short time together – were truly interesting. That was not something he found often in a noblewoman. He wondered if she would have still been like this had she not been the Inquisitor. If she'd come to his court as just the daughter of Bann Trevelyan, would he still had found her so fascinating?

It was impossible to say, of course. He liked to think so, but couldn't deny that her adventures and her position was something that excited him. It was something that connected them, their similar experiences.

He wanted to fuck her, of course. He was sure she was wild in bed, he could just tell. He smiled to himself at the thought and heat rushed through him as he pictured her sitting on top of him, riding his cock with that ridiculously hot corset still on her.

But the timing had to be right. If he wanted more...

He sighed. He didn't really know what he wanted. He'd never really wanted anyone for more than sex before, not since Mahariel ten years ago, and that had ended badly.

Right before reaching the guest quarters, he turned around to address the captain of his guards.

"I need some air to clear my head. I'll take a walk on the battlements, I think. I want to be left alone."

The captain's jaw tightened.

"You can stay at the bottom of the stairs to where I'm at, if that makes you feel any better. You'll hear if anything happens from there."

The captain nodded and they ventured outside to the courtyard. Alistair started to climb the stone steps of one of the stairs leading up to the battlements while his men waited at the base.

When he reached the top, he walked out on the passageway and leaned his back against the stone and looked up at the sky.

He was startled from his thoughts when he heard a low, growling voice snarl at him from his side: "Did you touch her?"

Alistair's head snapped around to where the voice was coming from and found himself stared down by the Commander. The man looked far from happy.

Before he could respond, Cullen continued. "Is that why you came here, of all fucking places? Standing outside my tower in the middle of the night after your little meeting, to gloat?"

Alistair looked quickly at the door behind Cullen. It was standing slightly ajar and from what he could see, it was the other man's office.

"No, I... I didn't know you stayed here. As for the touching part, that's really none of your business, is it?"

Mistake.

For a big man, Cullen certainly moved fast. In less than a second, he'd grabbed Alistair by the collar and yanked him to him.

"You think I give a shit about your title, Alistair?" he hissed. "I might have been under a lot of stress the last time we saw each other, but I wasn't blind. You followed Mahariel around like a little puppy dog, incapable of making your own decisions. She was the hero, not you. She made you King, she made you what you are now and as soon as you didn't need her anymore, you threw her away like fucking garbage. I won't let you do that to Ashe."

Alistair shoved his hands against Cullen's chest, making him lose his grip.

"What the fuck would you know about that? You don't know anything! You just want an excuse, to have Ashe to yourself. Well, friend," he spat, "you're too fucking late. She told me you are not together so why in the Fade should I stay away? I don't give a shit about what you want, I only care for what she wants, and you should fucking respect her wishes!"

Cullen snorted. "You say I don't know anything, but you're the one in the dark. I know Mahariel."

Alistair's mouth fell open in surprise. "What do you mean? Know her how?"

Cullen smiled in response. Alistair growled at the implications and flung himself at the man, fist connecting with his face. Cullen reeled back but quickly regained his composure and hit back fast as a snake.

Alistair coughed and staggered backwards into the stone, holding his hand up to his aching jaw.

Cullen just stared at him and shook his head.

"You've gone soft, Your Majesty." His words dripped with contempt. "You're not worthy of her."

Alistair lunged for Cullen again and they both tumbled to the ground, fighting and cursing each other until they heard running from the steps below.

The King's guards came rushing towards them and they both let go of each other.

"Your Majesty! What's going on? Should we detain this man?"

Cullen laughed as he stood up and Alistair shook his head as he too rose from the ground. "No, there's no need. Me and the Commander had a difference of opinion, that's all."

The captain looked skeptical and turned towards Cullen, eyeing him suspiciously. Cullen chuckled. "By all means, take me into your custody. Let's see how the Inquisitor likes it when she hears that a couple of the King's simpleton guards has detained her Commander in her own stronghold. You have heard of her favorite way to punish people who dishonor her or her people, right? Off with their heads." Cullen swept a finger dramatically over his throat to illustrate what he meant and the guards flinched.

Alistair shook his head at the ridiculousness of the Commander's threat. Well, maybe not so ridiculous, Alistair had heard that it was indeed her most favored way of executing prisoners. But nonetheless, he doubted she would apply that punishment to his guards regardless of what they'd done. They were his guards.

He still wanted to punch the other man. He felt the rage well up inside him again when he thought about the lies he spewed about Mahariel.

He's just trying to antagonize you.

"Come on, we're leaving." He waved his hand and the guards followed him as he started walking. He stopped after a few steps and turned back to face Cullen. He pointed his finger at him. "This isn't over."

Cullen nodded in agreement. "You're fucking right about that," he said, his tone irritatingly calm, before he disappeared into his tower.

Alistair almost shook with fury.

That insolent piece of shit.

If he hadn't been determined before, he was now ten times more so, to make Ashe his. The Commander could rot in the Fade while Alistair made her his queen.