Ashe
"It's just a load of crap gossip, Ashe, don't take it seriously."
She didn't listen to Hawke as she flew up the stairs to Leliana's tower. A thousand things ran through her mind as she ascended, ranging from confusion to disbelief and feeling like she'd been put through a ridiculous prank of some sort.
Cullen marrying Mahariel? It just couldn't be true.
"Ashe, calm down and listen to me!" Hawke insisted, right at her heels.
"I'll fucking calm down when Leliana tells me it's not true," she muttered and breathed a sigh of relief when she caught sight of the spymaster when she reached the top of the stairs. The relief was, however, very short-lived. The answer to the burning question in Ashe's mind was plain to see in Leliana's face as soon as their eyes met.
"So it's true, then?"
"Inquisitor. It's the middle of the night, how do you know already? Maker, I'll whip that boy for yapping about things he shouldn't!"
Ashe couldn't care less about that. "The letter. Let me see it."
Leliana snatched up the paper from the desk behind her and handed it to Ashe.
After a minute, she looked up and stared at Leliana. "Is this a joke?" The spymaster shook her head.
"What did it say?" Hawke asked quietly.
Ashe felt too shocked to speak and was grateful when Leliana stepped in to do it for her.
"Cullen informed us that he will be resigning as Commander effective immediately, and that he will be marrying Lady Mahariel within the week."
"Are you serious? That doesn't sound like him at all," Hawke said. "Did he give a reason? Are you sure it's from him and not just some prank someone is playing on you?"
"I agree, it's all very unexpected. But it's his handwriting," Leliana said. "Of course, I can't rule out that someone made him write this, but I haven't heard of anything suspicious or unusual going on."
"I should think this classifies as unusual," Ashe muttered.
"Well, yes, but you know what I mean, Inquisitor."
"He can't just quit!" Ashe exclaimed and put her hands out in front of her. "He just can't! I mean, the Inquisition is his life, for Andraste's sake. This is all just too fucking weird."
"Maybe he's looking for a quiet life, to settle down," Leliana said and placed her chin in her hand, looking up at the ceiling as if lost in thought. "I've known Cullen a long time, and I've always suspected he'd want to find a nice girl to settle down with eventually. And I know he wants to be a father, preferably to a whole throng of children."
"A 'nice' girl, you say? To settle down with?" Hawke sounded amused as he spoke. "Solid job he's done then, falling in love with our girl here. I mean no offense Ashe, but you – domesticated, pretty-little-wife material? I should think not," he snorted.
Ashe stared daggers at him, but quickly gave in and shrugged. "True," she admitted. "But I'm not the one he's set to marry," she added dryly.
Hawke barked a laugh in response. "Like Mahariel is any better? That's even more outlandish if Leliana's thoughts are anywhere near the mark. Mahariel's a Grey Warden, tangled up with the King, Maker, can she even have children since she's a Warden?"
"For fuck's sake, why are we even talking about this? This is all pure speculation from you, Leliana!" Ashe said and jabbed her finger in the spymaker's direction. "He's been courting me all this time, and he's never mentioned anything about any fucking settling down or - or children," she almost spat the word,"quite the opposite, in fact! In another life, perhaps. Not in this. He's a savage, really, and you all know it. Not that I'm complaining..."
"Oh, puh-lease," Hawke complained but Ashe waved it away to the sounds of Leliana's giggling.
"I shall have to travel to Denerim to speak to him about all this, sort it out. I assume that letter also held an invitation to this so-called wedding?"
Leliana cleared her throat as if embarrassed and looked anywhere except at Ashe, who just blinked when the implications worked their way through her head.
"He didn't invite me?" she said slowly.
"Erh-hum. Yes, well... It seems that way, yes."
"That mother-fu-
When Ashe arrived at the palace in Denerim, she was immediately taken to Alistair's office. The guards all waited outside, closing the door behind them. Ashe observed Alistair as he rose from the chair behind his desk. He had a plain white shirt on, with a black and gold vest on top. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he had ink stains on his fingers, and a smudge of it on his forehead. It looked adorable, but her attention was quickly caught by the muscles rippling underneath the skin of his arms as he braced himself against the desk and pushed himself up. She hummed appreciatively as his hand raked through his dirty blond hair, trying to slick it down, but it still stood up, golden and unruly. That damned hair made her knees weak.
He smiled at her as he walked forward to greet her, opening his arms with every step. She hadn't known what to expect from him, but if he was depressed or angry over this thing with Cullen and Mahariel, he didn't let it show. She let him embrace her and she closed her eyes and breathed in his familiar scent, letting it wash over her. She loved the smell of him – an unusual but delightful mixture of leather, honey and ink.
"It's so good to see you, Ashe," he murmured, and she shivered all over as the deep rumble of his voice hit every nerve in her.
"And you, Alistair. I've missed you." She really had.
He leaned back to look at her, beaming at her words. Maker, he was adorable. He kissed her then, and she sighed and melted into him, kissing him back. It quickly intensified and a throaty moan left him when her tongue found his. He stumbled back into the desk, pulling her with him, and she reveled in feeling his strong arms around her. She pushed herself tighter against him and oh, the sound he made when she made contact with his erection, he was already so hard for her. She almost fell to the floor when he licked the skin of her neck before biting it. She pulled her leg up and snaked it around his, trying to get closer. When he reached out to grab her calf, he pulled back as soon as he touched her boot.
"Andraste, you're still in your riding gear, sweetest... Forgive my manners, I was just so excited to see you. You must be exhausted."
She almost whined in protest when he stood up straight and pushed her off him gently.
Curse these fucking boots...
"Not that I'm not loving this unexpected visit, Ashe, I just wish you'd have sent a raven before you came so that I could have cleared my schedule for you. Now I'm stuck here all afternoon in meetings when I could be entertaining your beautiful self instead," Alistair said and pouted with his lips, threading his fingers through her locks, staring at her mouth again.
Ashe shivered but resisted the temptation of kissing him.
"I did send a raven. Didn't you receive my letter?"
Alistair raised an eyebrow. "No. How strange."
"Yeah... Anyway, I need to see my Commander."
Alistair stiffened and let go of her. "I thought he was no longer in your employ."
"I'm not sure he and I have finished discussing that little matter. In fact, we haven't discussed it at all. Don't you think this is all highly unusual?" she asked, and watched as Alistair returned to the chair behind his desk, leaving her at the other end of the wooden surface.
"I don't concern myself with Cullen's business," he said and looked slightly irritated. Ashe ignored it.
"Not even if his business involves marrying your ex-girlfriend? What do you think of all this, why are they getting married all of a sudden? I need to talk to him before he does anything stupid."
Alistair's eyes hardened. "Ashe, you do know that they are already married?"
Ashe's stomach dropped. "Wh-what?"
Alistair nodded. "Yesterday morning. I was too busy to attend, and it was a small ceremony anyway." His expression was unreadable. "Mahariel is the new Mrs. Rutherford."