Ashe

Early the next morning, Ashe approached the guest quarters Alistair was staying in, planning to take him on a little tour of Skyhold. She was surprised to see only one guard posted outside his door. When the guard saw her, he inclined his head her way.

"Inquisitor, if you're here to see His Majesty, I'm afraid you're a bit too late. He left some time ago."

"Left? What do you mean, he left? It's six o'clock in the morning!"

The guard only shrugged and fixed his gaze forward again, not looking at Ashe anymore.

She wondered what Alistair was up to. Had he forgotten that they were supposed to meet this morning? Unlikely, since he'd told her he could hardly wait. She turned around, intent on finding him, when she heard a commotion coming from the direction of the courtyard.

Strange, it's usually so quiet this early...

When she arrived outside, she could see a crowd of people gathered around the soldier's practice ground. They were cheering and hooting and she could see money exchange hands in a dozen places. She strained her eyes to see who was at the center of all this attention, a feeling of dread creeping into her.

No way, no WAY, they wouldn't...

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Her fears were confirmed as her eyes landed on Cullen and Alistair circling each other in the middle of the crowd.

Of all the stupid, fucking...

She bolted forward and pushed her way through the crowd and arrived just as Cullen took a nasty blow to the face. Ashe winced but Cullen just smiled, blood covering his teeth. He looked... feral, and Ashe couldn't help herself, something in her responded and she could feel heat rising on her cheeks. Her eyes shifted over to Alistair, who was rubbing his knuckles into the palm of his other hand. She couldn't see his face since he had his back to her, but she didn't have time to think about that because that's when the King pulled his shirt over his head threw it to the side. Her eyes widened in disbelief as Cullen responded by doing the same.

Are they fucking serious? This is embarrassing, they're behaving like boys...

But the women who were watching screamed and cheered in response, and Ashe couldn't help but to sigh, give in and appreciate the view. Both Cullen and the King were so ripped it was ridiculous. Their muscles flexed under the early morning sun as they moved, and she suddenly found herself visualizing what it would feel like to be trapped between the two of them, with their tight, sweat-slicked muscles pressing into her naked body from either side...

She was snapped out of her daydream quite abruptly when Cullen hit Alistair in the face so hard that he reeled back and had to brace himself against the fence. She noticed how the man beside her winced and she turned her head and saw that it was Alistair's guard-captain. She leaned in closer to him so that no one else would hear her speak.

"What in the Fade is happening here? Why are they fighting?" she hissed to him.

"His Majesty wanted a bit of fresh air before he came to see you this morning. So we took this route to you quarters and..." He trailed off and Ashe gave him an irritated push on the shoulder.

"And? Continue!"

"Well, the Commander was already out here, training some of your soldiers. They were singing."

Ashe stared at him. "Singing? What the fuck is wrong with you? Just tell me why they're fighting already, or so help me!" She had no time for his evasiveness.

"Alright, Inquisitor, I'm sorry. They were singing a song about the Hero of Ferelden while they were working out. The King took it as provocation from your Commander and he challenged him to fight him in the ring."

Ashe didn't have time to be perplexed over why that had provoked Alistair before a loud cheer went through the crowd again. The two men were rolling around in the mud now, throwing punches and trying to gain the upper hand. Alistair hit Cullen in the stomach, forcing him to gasp for air and loosen his grip on Alistair. Alistair used Cullen's momentary weakness to push him down to his back and he straddled him and started hitting him in the face, over and over. People were booing and shouting now, most of them obviously rooting for their Commander, albeit far from everyone.

"I have to stop this," Ashe murmured to herself. This wouldn't do. It would undermine the authority of whoever the loser was, and that wasn't good. They knew that but they still behaved like children.

She stepped into the ring just as Cullen managed to throw Alistair off him and he elbowed him in the ribs with one arm and hit his jaw with his fist right after, almost too fast to see. Ashe couldn't help but to feel impressed, with both of them. Cullen was one of the best fighters she knew, and it seemed that Alistair matched him, even though he was knocked on his ass in this particular moment. If she didn't stop them now, they would be at this all day.

She stepped in between them, ignoring the booing from the crowd.

Alistair just looked past her, staring daggers at Cullen.

"I should have you arrested for treason, you dog," he hissed at the other man.

Ashe closed the distance between them quickly and lowered her voice.

"Now you listen to me, Your Majesty." Alistair winced at her use of his title and looked at her, suddenly forgetting Cullen. "You are in my stronghold now, and that is my Commander. You have no authority here, none, zero, squat, do you understand me? So don't threaten him, especially not when you're the one who started this. Whatever he's done, you should know better. If you would have won this idiotic fight, then his authority would be undermined, and thereby mine. And that would really, really piss me off. Do you hear?"

Alistair looked glum and she saw a hint of irritation before he smoothed out his features into what she was sure was a well-practiced mask of neutrality. "Of course, My Lady, I didn't mean to offend you. I beg your forgiveness."

He turned around and walked away without another word, his guards following him. The crowd murmured in disappointment. Ashe turned towards Cullen, ready with a scolding for him too but she couldn't get the words out of her mouth when she caught sight of him. He was covered in dirt and sweat, smeared across his torso. She let her eyes roam over him and Maker, she had to press her legs together when she saw how he licked a few drops of blood from his split lip while he was inspecting his arm for injuries.

She reluctantly tore here gaze away from him and addressed the crowd. "All of you, get back to work or I'll throw you all out of Skyhold faster than you can count to five!"

No one wanted to argue with her when she was in this mood and in less than twenty seconds, the courtyard was empty except for her and Cullen. She turned around to face him again and yelped when she found him standing right behind her. He was grinning at her and she stared at the corner of his mouth where his tongue was licking off more blood.

"I'm so happy that you defended my honor," he said and gave her a mock bow.

"Oh, shut up. Explain."

He pulled her to him in a move so fast she was caught completely off guard. He nuzzled his face against her neck. "What do you wish for me to explain?" His voice was low and rough. "How much I want to push you down into the mud and fuck you, until your come runs down your legs and mixes with the filth on the ground?" She gasped as his tongue lapped at the skin just below her ear. Holy Andraste, the pressure he invoked between her legs, the heat that coiled up tight, tight, tight inside her... She was going to have to step away right this instant or she'd let him do what he wanted.

She pushed him off and took a few steps back. She steeled herself to meet his gaze and she immediately regretted it when she did. His eyes were dark and glowing in a haze of desire and they burned into her. She turned away and began walking away. "I'll have words with you later, Commander," she called over her shoulder, refusing to look at him again.

She cursed him when she heard him chuckle and then she cursed herself for being so weak. She touched her neck on the way back to her quarters and her hand came back dirty and bloody. His blood. It didn't help to quell the desire in her, it was the other way around.

Half an hour later, she lay soaking in the tub when there was a knock on her door. She muttered curses to herself, annoyed that she had to interrupt the only thing that could make her truly relax. She got up and dried herself lazily with a linen towel before wrapping her black silk robe around her body.

She walked over to the stairs and called "Come in!" before she went over to her desk to flip through some of the messages waiting to be read. She heard footsteps in the stairs and turned around to see Alistair emerge at the top.

Oh, great.

She still felt angry with him but she didn't wish to be impolite.

"Your Majesty, what can I do for you?"

She could see how his eyes took in her attire before he cleared his throat. "Ashe, you must forgive me. I honestly didn't think, earlier, of the consequences, or that it might have reflected badly on you. I would never do anything to hurt you."

He looked sincere enough as he spoke and Ashe nodded. "Apology accepted. Come in, sit down." She held her arm out towards the sofa. "Would you like some breakfast? Perhaps you could tell me what happened over some tasty pastries."

He gave her a small smile and sat down. "Of course. Join me on the sofa and I will."

"I'll just go change into..."

"No need on my account, Ashe. You look breathtaking without clothes... in your robe I mean."

Her eyebrow shot up at his remark but his expression didn't change a bit. Well, if this was how he wanted to play it, just dropping random lines at her like that, she wouldn't stop him. Not as long as those lines were pleasant.

She sat down and offered him a plate of food that he took, but he didn't touch its contents.

"I'm again sorry for my behavior, I have no excuse. But I couldn't just stand for the insult when I walked through your courtyard and heard your soldiers. They were singing about the Hero of Ferelden in a very derogatory manner, and as you know, she and I were close once, very close friends. And when I asked them to stop, your Commander told them to keep singing. So I got upset, even though I know I shouldn't let him provoke me like that. Just as I shouldn't have last night."

"What do you mean 'last night'?"

"I ran into the Commander while I took an evening walk on the battlements. He started accusing me of all sorts of things."

Ashe didn't know what to make of what he said. She was sure there were two sides to that story.

"I'm sorry you're getting dragged into the middle of this, Alistair."

He shook his head. "Don't be, I don't mind, really. Nothing can stop me from enjoying your company." His voice had dropped and it sent shivers through Ashe. Why did he have to sound so damned sexy? She found her anger evaporating quickly and she was suddenly very aware of how close they were sitting. He with only a shirt and a vest and she in nothing but a thin robe. His leg was almost touching the exposed skin of her knee. She stared at their point of contact and her eyes slowly rose up to meet his. She found him staring at her just as intensely and they both breathed hard.

"Maker forgive me, but I can't resist you," he said and tossed the plate on the floor. It clattered against the floorboards while he pulled her against him, tight, and his hot mouth was on hers.

All protests died on her lips as she felt his tongue lick them and she allowed him entry into her mouth. Their hot breath mingled and their tongues played and she felt all the blood in her shoot up in temperature. He moaned into her and she whimpered, heat pooling between her legs. He pushed her down on her back and loomed over her, his broad shoulders covering her smaller body in a way that aroused her immensely. He renewed his assault on her mouth and she snaked her arm around his waist and pushed him harder against her. She could feel his erection against the tiny scrap of fabric still covering her and she gasped as he ground himself against her. He kissed her jaw and she moaned out loud when his hand parted her robe and found its way to her cunt.

"Maker, Ashe, you're so wet for me already..."

She pressed herself against his fingers, silently begging for him to move them harder against her swollen clit. He read her mind and she had to bite her lip to stop from crying out when when he slipped a finger inside her.

A harsh knock on the door below made her jump and Alistair stilled but stayed on top of her, his finger still buried inside her.

"Inquisitor!" came a muffled voice through the door. "Cassandra and Josephine are waiting for you in the war room. They told me to tell you that if you keep them waiting a minute longer, they'll start scheduling the morning meetings at five o'clock instead of seven!"

Ashe groaned and Alistair laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that made her tremble with want.

"We can't have that happen now, can we? I'd hate to be responsible for the Inquisitor's ruined mornings." Alistair kissed her lightly on the lips and slid his finger out of her before he stood up, leaving Ashe panting on the sofa. He slowly took his finger into his mouth and sucked on it. Ashe felt like her eyes would pop out of her head at the sight.

"Maker, but you are delicious. See you at dinner tonight?"

She only managed to nod and then he left while she scrambled to get ready for her meeting.

She didn't have time to process what had just happened while she walked swiftly towards the war room. She walked through Josephine's office and skidded to a halt when she saw Cullen standing behind Josie's desk, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed casually in front of him. She approached him warily.

"Why aren't you already at the meeting?" she asked.

"I was waiting for you, of course." He smiled, and she felt as though he knew what had just happened between her and Alistair, but of course, he couldn't know that. She took a few steps towards him and saw that his lip was still split. She walked up to him and touched the small wound without thinking about what she was doing.

"Why didn't you let the healers fix that?"

He surprised her yet again when he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall.

Damn, he's fast.

"Because I thought you'd like to taste it first," he said, and then she was kissed violently for the second time in less than ten minutes.

And Maker take her if it didn't feel just as fucking good this time, with Cullen. She could indeed taste the blood that trickled out of his lip, and it turned her veins to fire. She felt so dirty, like a fucking desire demon, getting horny from tasting his blood. It was so weird and wrong and good.

"Do you like the taste of me?" he whispered when she gulped for breath before smashing her lips to his again.

"Maker, yes," she moaned when he started kissing his way down her jaw to her throat. "Do you know what you do to me?" She plunged her hand down and squeezed against the fabric of his breeches, feeling the monstrous size of his hard cock through the fabric. She moaned in appreciation when she felt how big he was and her cunt ached with the desire to feel him split her open, and he groaned as she kept moving her hand against him.

"Shit, Ashe, do you feel what you do to me? You are sin, I need to fuck you..."

He shoved his tongue into her mouth again and grabbed her wrists in one big hand, shoving them against the wall above her head while he held her hip so hard she was sure it would leave bruises, and he rutted against her; practically fucking her with their clothes still on.

They stopped immediately when they heard the doors to the war room bang open further up the corridor.

"Ashe! Where are you? If you're not here within one minute, I swear to the Maker!"

"Fucking Cassandra," Cullen whispered, and Ashe laughed quietly while trying to straighten her clothes and smooth her messy hair. He did the same, all the while sporting a wicked smile.

"I'm not done with you, you know," Ashe said.

"Oh, I certainly hope not, you siren."

Ashe rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the stupid grin off her face.

"I mean, I still have some yelling to to for what happened this morning. But I think you should probably stay away from the dinner tonight. I don't want you two wrestling each other on the dining table."

"Fine, I won't come." He pulled her to him and leaned down and licked her ear.

"Shit, Cullen - stop it! You're making me so wet they'll see it through my fucking pants if you don't stop."

A rumble went through him at that and his mouth was still placed against her ear. "Is that supposed to make me want to stop? You temptress. If you don't want me crashing dinner tonight, where I can make all sorts of trouble, I'm sure, come by my office after. For dessert, of course."

"ASHE TREVELYAN! Get in here now!"

"We should go, she sounds pissed..."

Cullen grabbed her arm. "Promise you'll come."

"Of course, how could I stay away?"

He looked satisfied and made to walk past her to the war room. Just when he walked past her side, he turned and looked at her. "Good. Or else I would have been forced to make you come. Which I will do, anyway."

She swallowed hard and followed him.

What have I gotten myself into?