Ashe

She woke with a start.

How long had she been asleep? Minutes, hours, days? She couldn't tell. After hearing that voice in the darkness, her voice...

This time, the room was lit again. Dozens of candles burned throughout the space she was in, the same room as before when Anders had come to see her. He'd left her to 'calm down' as he put it, after she'd asked him if he'd hurt her friends. She must have fallen asleep after that, and dreamed or imagined that voice telling her that there was nothing to be afraid of.

She must have imagined it, because Lady Mahariel was dead. She wouldn't be speaking to anyone anymore.

Ashe shook her head to clear it, and got up to examine her surroundings some more. The room was remarkably like the one she'd had in her childhood home, the Trevelyan estate, except this was more luxurious. Of course, there was nothing shocking about the resemblance if Anders was responsible for setting it up, seeing as he knew what her old room looked like and what she liked.

The more pressing question was what he intended with the setup. To make her feel at home? The bars on the windows sort of killed that feeling. And the Trevelyan home wasn't hers anymore. Skyhold was her home. She could never go back to what her life was before the Inquisition. She didn't know what sort of illusions Anders harbored about that. They'd been like brother and sister - in secret of course, since her family would never allow her to mingle so casually with a servant. Then the day had come when she'd been tasked to represent her family at the Conclave, and she never returned home. She had no idea what Anders had been up to during all this time.

Well, she had some notion, considering how prepared this place seemed. She needed to get more information out of him and plan her next move. She couldn't count on anyone coming to save her. Anders might have claimed that he'd left Cullen and the others unharmed, but considering everything else that he'd lied about, she wasn't about to take his word on that, no matter how much it hurt to think of the implications if he was lying.

She needed to save herself, and what of it? It wouldn't be the first time. There was no point in feeling sorry for herself.

She decided that the best course of action would be to be friendly with him. Not overly so, lest he become suspicious that it was all an act, but in moderate doses, to find out what he wanted from her.

She looked herself over in the mirror on the vanity and smoothed out her hair, splashed some water from the basin in her face to freshen up and donned one of the dresses hanging in the closet. She looked in the mirror again.

Not half-bad.

She had of course considered the possibility that Anders was doing all this because he was in love with her. If he was, he'd been a very good actor during the time they spent together, since she'd never gotten any indication that he'd been interested. He hadn't been jealous when she'd had trysts with various men in the estate, and then there was that time when she'd practically offered herself up to him on a silver platter. She'd been horny and he was handsome and made her laugh, so she'd waited for him in her room, wearing nothing but Orlesian underwear when he came for his regular cleaning round. He'd chatted on as usual, like he didn't even notice her appearance, while he cleaned, and then cheerily bade her goodnight and left, leaving her looking at the closed door, dumbfounded.

Ashe shook her head at the memory. Men jumped at the opportunity to fuck her, they always had, and to be turned down like that, looking like she had – young and ripe for the taking, red lips and black lace – it had stung her self-confidence. But she'd gotten over it after a while, accepting that he didn't feel that way about her, and now it was so deeply rooted in her that she had a hard time imagining anything else.

But she couldn't think of another reason for him to do this. He said he wanted to protect her, but to snatch her away from her life and lock her up in this place that he'd clearly -

Wait.

Ashe looked around the room again. This was all too well prepared. Everything that had happened recently – Mahariel's death, the attacks on herself, it had all happened so fast. Why did Anders have this place ready, why had he even showed up at the castle, if he wasn't the one responsible for it all?

Up until now, she hadn't really believed in her heart that he could have done this to her.

Now, she wasn't so sure. Maker's breath. She would really have to put on a show for him to buy that she believed him.

Some time later...

She sat opposite Anders, eating bread and cheese from the table between them. When he'd come to see her, she'd noticed how his eyes had widened for just a fraction of a second when he caught sight of her, before controlling himself. She would have never noticed it if she wasn't looking for signs. What it meant, she couldn't be sure, but she could guess that it was because she looked cleaned up, relaxed, and – considering the dress she'd chosen – like the daring woman she was used to being now, not the girl he remembered.

He probably hadn't expected that. But she kept to her original plan of being polite but not too hands-on. And it seemed to be working. As the hours passed, they talked about this and that, drank wine and almost fell into their old, easy companionship. Well, at least Anders did. Ashe acted like she did too, but it wasn't hard to fake it, she had to admit. Some moments she almost forgot that he was a potential enemy.

None of them talked about what had happened to lead them both here, until Ashe brought up the dream she had earlier.

"I could have sworn that it was Mahariel. But it was just a dream, of course. Just so vivid," she said.

Anders expression grew serious.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that, Ashe. Warden Commander Mahariel, she... she's not dead."

"That's not funny, Anders."

"I mean it. She was attacked but I saved her."

Ashe was stunned. Either he was absolutely bonkers to expect her to believe that or...

"Come on, you don't really think I'm going to believe that? They saw her with their own eyes, Alistair buried her for Andraste's sake!"

"They entombed her, true. But I got her out. I put a spell on her, it only looked like she was dead. It was the only way to save her from the attacker, he was after her as well as you. That woman saved my life more than once, I had to return the favor."

"But, wh- I mean... How... Why didn't you tell me right away? We've been talking for hours Anders, and what, it just slipped your mind?!" She got up and started pacing back and forth in front of him.

"I didn't want to shock you, that's all."

He didn't even have the decency to look ashamed.

"Well, that failed miserably! Was she here, in my room? It wasn't a dream?"

"Yes. She just wanted to comfort you, to let you see for yourself that she was alright. She said that the shock must have made you pass out."

What?

Ashe wasn't some delicate, frilly-skirted noblewoman - a surprise, even a big one, wouldn't make her pass out. And why would Mahariel even care about her? She'd met the woman once, and her motives for that meeting were still wholly unclear to Ashe.

"That..." She wanted to say 'that doesn't make any sense.' But thought the better of it. "I guess I understand. So where is she now, then?"

"Not here any longer, I'm afraid. She wasn't safe here."

"Safe from what, Anders? And why are we here if it isn't safe?"

"I can only keep you hidden, kitten, not both of you. I don't have endless resources, I'm afraid. She's off to investigate on her own. Maybe she's even on her way to King Alistair as we speak."

Ashe clenched her fists. If Alistair saw that Mahariel was alive, he wouldn't even look at Ashe again. She was sure whatever had gone down to destroy the relationship between him and the Hero would solve itself if they met again. Believing someone to be dead tends to put things into perspective.

She knew it was petty, to think only about herself when this was actually happy news, for Alistair and for Cullen, who seemed to be close to Mahariel as well, for whatever reasons. But let her be selfish, then. She didn't trust that woman, she didn't even know her. Who knew what she would tell Alistair, or Cullen, when she reunited with them?

And Ashe was stuck here, with a man who's intentions she still couldn't figure out.

She had to take control of whatever she could, and right now, that was Anders. She'd take him.

She sank down into her chair again and looked at her feet.

"Would it be terribly weak of me," she said with a small voice, "to admit that I'm tired? Tired of being strong, of cleaning up everyone else's messes. I miss the simpler days of Ostwick, when I was just a young girl and you were just Adrian." She looked up at him through her lashes. "Is it weak to admit that my mind throws away all the suspicions that's surrounded your return, simply because I miss you?"

Anders didn't say anything for a few moments, but his eyes were big as he stared at her.

Just another little push.

A tear fell from her eye and she made a display of trying to hide it, like she was ashamed. "I don't even know why you came to save me, Anders. I didn't even think you cared for me."

He got up to his feet at that, and walked over to her and knelt before her, taking her hands in his. "Look at me, kitten."

She made a show of refusing before he urged her again and she seemed to comply reluctantly.

"Don't you ever say that again," he whispered. "I love you, I always have."

"B-but you didn't want me. You can't have been so blind that you couldn't tell that I wanted to be with you," she said, rolling her eyes at herself inwardly at the dramatic display.

"For Andraste's sake, kitten, you were what, sixteen, seventeen years old? I'm not a monster, despite what people say about me. You've always been beautiful, but I couldn't look at you like that, then."

Ashe wiped her tears away with one hand before returning it to Anders.

"I'm not that young anymore. I've seen so much, and I'll be twenty years old in less then a fortnight. Maker Anders, it feels more like thirty."

He laughed a little at that and she gave him a sad smile.

"I wish I could have been there for you, kitten. When I heard about the explosion... I thought you were dead, your whole family thought so. When I heard that you'd survived, become the Herald of Andraste, Maker... I left to find you right away, but the war... And I was a wanted man. I just couldn't get to you."

He looked so sincere, Ashe didn't know what to think. Of course, it was possible that he meant what he said and was still responsible for all the horrible events of the last week. Insane people tended to be unpredictable. But he didn't look insane now. He looked like he was filled with adoration.

Then again, crazy stalkers usually were just that. She just couldn't know yet.

Stick with the plan.

She put her hand against his cheek and caressed it lightly. "Oh, how I wish you would have been there with me. You've no idea how much I've missed you."

His eyes were wide again and she could hear his breathing quicken slightly.

He kissed the palm of the hand she had against his cheek. "If it's even a fraction of how much I've missed you, kitten..." he breathed, and she leaned towards him slightly, exposing more of her bare skin to him and bringing her face closer to his.

"Please, Anders..." she whispered.

Anders

Hearing his name uttered from her lips like that – reverently - it was more than he could ever have dreamed. He'd always resisted looking at her as anything more than a sister, no matter how much she'd tempted him, no matter how much it had galled him when she ran around with those vile beasts of men who'd used her when she was barely more than a child.

But she was a child no more. She was here, in his arms and he couldn't stop himself. He'd finally got her out of evil's clutches, away from the people who wished her no good, who only wanted to use her.

He would take care of her now, protect her. He hadn't counted on her seeing his side of things so quickly, but it was obvious now, after she'd confessed how much she had missed him, that he didn't have to hold himself back any longer.

She was right in front of him, beautiful as a siren, the delicate, milky skin of her shoulders and cleavage exposed to him, her hot breath so close that he felt it warm his skin. Her lips parted unconsciously, just waiting for his mouth to close over them.

When he put his hand around her neck and gently pushed her towards him and met her with a kiss, he lost all control. His senses exploded with the taste of her and his magic erupted, sending things whirling around the room. He almost broke the kiss to calm himself when the sweetest sound he'd ever heard came out of Ashe's mouth – a small moan of pleasure. It was enough to send him straight to the point of no return.

Hawke

He awoke abruptly, the magic surging through his veins. He shot to his feet and scrambled for his armor. Alistair woke up from the commotion, and Cullen – who'd been sitting poking the fire, keeping watch – stared at him like he'd just sprouted horns.

"What happened?" he asked.

"A strong burst of magical energy somewhere not too far from here, but it's fading quickly. We must leave now, while I can still sense it!" Hawke said, more than a little excited. This was their first lead in days, ever since the last traces of Anders' magic trail had gone cold.

"What do you think triggered it?" Alistair asked, already fully awake and putting on his armor.

"I have no idea. I hope she's fighting him with all she's got," Hawke said before he leaped up into the saddle on his horse. "Whatever she's doing, it's damn well working!"