Thank you so much for the favourites, follows and wonderful reviews,they all make my days :) I hope you keep on enjoying this story. I have planned for another two to three chapters after this one, fairly long ones. Thanks again to the people reviewing, it's really kind of you. But enough chatting, on with the show. I own only the OCs and make no profit.

In which they exchange more than four words.

"He is hot," said Dalia for the uptenth time.

Beth was adjusting her dress, well, pointlessly fiddling with it would be a more accurate description of the situation. It was the only dress she owned that had actually been made for an Elf, and technically it wasn't hers but Beth figured that since the original owner had died that meant she could pick it up and call it hers. The dress was quite nice, a deep blue turned light with age and wear, tight at the waist and covering her shoulders. It stopped at the elbows too, which was good because no matter how cold it might be, Beth did not like to feel fabric on her forearms.

She plaited her hair, a hairdo which she hoped was halfway between making an effort and not desperately throwing herself at Krem. She could do nothing about her shoes, though, but Dalia had lent her some nicer looking slippers. Dalia's feet were remarkably tiny for a human.

Beth could see her face bore the marks of the late night, but she assumed Krem would look the same. Truth was, she felt extremely nervous. Excited, but nervous. They had danced together the night before, he'd called her beautiful, and she'd found him even nicer than she had expected. Not only was he a hero, he was also handsome, witty, and had the most contagious smile she had ever seen. Part of her worried that if he met her outside of the tavern, in the unforgivingly bright morning light, he would regret leading her on. The young Elf glanced out the window - it was noon. She smoothed her dress one last time, then turned to Dalia.

"What do you think? Do I look alright?"

"You look good, don't worry, he's going to love you. Maker, he really is hot, isn't he? And how many nice mercenaries are we ever going to meet?"

Seven, thought Beth. The whole of the Chargers had been lovely.

"Right, off I go then, wish me luck!"

"Kiss him for me" smiled Dalia.

Beth walked down the steps to the tavern, walked out the door and stood there blinking in the bright sunshine. He hadn't arrived yet. She looked down to her dress and suddenly felt extremely foolish. So foolish, in fact, that she turned to run back upstairs and just put on her regular working outfit when she heard his voice calling out to her.

"Beth!"

He was running to her. He wasn't wearing his armor, just a thick, long sleeve shirt and his trousers and boots. Like the night before, except this was a fresh shirt. His hair looked slightly wet and spiky, as if he had just got out of the bath. The sun shone on his golden skin.

Sorry, Dalia, thought Beth. I think I might have to kiss him for myself.

"Sorry," he said, catching his breath.

"You're not late," she replied. "I'm early I think."

They looked at each other, awkward smiles tugging at their lips. Someone whistled somewhere near the practice dummies.

"Warden Blackwall is good at whistling, isn't he?" Said Krem, scowling in the dummies' general direction.

"Yes" replied Beth.

From her spot, she could look up to Krem's face. He really was handsome, with his dark skin and strong jaw, his cheeks smooth.

"How old are you?" She asked him suddenly.

Krem started at the blunt question, but quickly recovered.

"How old do you think I am?" He asked.

"I don't know... You're in your twenties?"

There was such shy hope in her voice that the young warrior wondered just how young she thought he was.

"I'm 25" he said. "You?"

"Why, Mr Aclassi, you cannot just ask a lady's age!"

Krem felt panic for a second, but a glance at her face told him she was joking.

"So if you see a lady" continued Beth, "make sure not to ask her age. As for myself, I am 23."

Krem was so charmed that he did not manage to answer. Instead, he just stared at his waitress with a silly smile on his face.

"Should we... Have a walk?"

"Yes, that sounds perfect. The ramparts ?"

They made their move towards the nearest set of steps up, and Beth noticed out of the corner of her eye that Krem wasn't sure whether to offer her his arm or not. He settled for clasping his hands behind his back. She crossed her own arms. When they reached the top, the mountain breeze reminded them that it was cold up in Skyhold. Krem could already feel that he was going to spend the rest of their walk struggling with himself, not knowing whether to put his arm around her or keep his hands to himself. Of course, if she was cold then this would be the perfect excuse to touch her, but then again she might just think he was an awful creep, and he would blow all of his chances of getting closer to her. He had started in a much better position than he expected, as she remembered him from Haven, and had already thought of him as some sort of hero even before the incident with Jora and Rufford.

"I had a think, you know," said Krem. "About what you said. I think I remember seeing you in Haven now. You... You were on the last bunk weren't you? In the medical ward?"

"That's it! That was me. Do you remember me?"

She seemed so excited, watching him with expectant eyes, and he felt his cheeks redden again. He did not remember much, just that the ward was on fire and that he had carried a few people out.

"A bit" he said. "The ward was on fire... I carried two Elves out. First you, then I came back and carried a man."

"My brother"

Krem looked at her in surprise. Really, he could have been expecting this. It was no secret that life on the road to Skyhold was hard, and that the refugees who made it there, although it seemed like a large number, were probably only a quarter of those who had set off in the first place.

He had no idea what to say.

"There were about twenty of us setting off from the Fallow Mire. Local families. Well, local, Elves aren't exactly native of the region but you know what I mean. My brother and I were amongst that group, along with my mum and a few neighbours. It was a... Truly exhausting journey, to say the least. Only my brother and I made it to Haven, well, and Fen of course, then I made it here. With Fen. Thanks to you" she added with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm sorry" he said, though he didn't know what he was sorry for exactly. Her loss. The fact that he could have run faster back to the ward to get the other elf. Mentioning her dead brother. Everything.

"It's not your fault, not at all. Thank you for saving me."

She smiled up at him, but although he wasn't as discerning as the Chief, Krem could feel that she was struggling to keep it light, letting her eyes wander over the breathtaking views that surrounded them. She regretted this conversation.

"So... You're from the Mire, huh? You grew up there?"

"Yes. My great grandmother moved there when she was young, set up a farm which my family has been running ever since."

"Sorry for asking but uh, what can you farm exactly in the Mire?"

His question had the effect intended, as her lips stretched for real and the glint returned to her lovely eyes.

"Plenty, I'll have you know. We farm bog cabbage, bog rice, bog wheat... We fish for bog carps, we raise nugs."

"Nugs?"

"Nugs. You wouldn't believe the amount of Orlesian restaurants that have turned to nug meat, it's really strange, they used to think it was vermine and now they ask us for them. Some lords and ladies keep them as pets, they ask if we can train them a bit!" She laughed.

"And how does that go?" Asked Krem, genuinely amused.

"Badly" replied Beth. She told him stories of herself and her brother, and two younger sisters she hadn't mentioned yet, running after nugs trying to get them to jump into tiny handbags.

"You see, the nugs' default state of mind and body is utter panic" she said in a very serious tone which had Krem chuckling. "So you're there trying to get them to calmly get into the handbag, and they just run around like loonies, squealing and running into walls and trees"

To illustrate her point, she produced the most accurate immitation of a nug' squeal that Krem had ever heard, and pretended to run into the wall, before squealing even harder and running into him. He caught her easily, laughing out loud for the first time in... In quite a while.

"Honestly, I'm not a hunter, but even I would struggle not to catch a nug. I think it is the only creature in Thedas that tries to escape you by running into you."

"Ah! that sounds quite right, the Inquisitor always seems to accidentally kill nugs. We all thought it was due to an irrational hatred of the creatures, but now it makes more sense."

"Myself and the Inquisitor lead the same fight" said Beth. She sighed. " I got really attached to them, and then we had to send them away. But enough about me and my nugs. So you're from Tervinter?"

"Yup."

"And how did you end up a mercenary, then, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's no problem. Like I said, my father was a tailor, but because of some noble's plan to get his slaves to sell clothes for cheap my father lost his job and we ended up pretty poor for quite a few weeks. Eventually, my dad had to sell himself into slavery. I joined the army as soon as I was old enough and sent the money to my mother every month."

"Are they still in Tervinter? Your parents, I mean."

"I think so, yes. I haven't seen my father since he sold himself - becoming a slave means forgetting about whatever life you had before. I haven't spoken to my mother either, due to a, uh... An argument. I am no longer in the army, but my mother is now considered a widow by law, so she will be getting money from charity. I think. She has sisters, if ever she gets desperate."

"How did you come to leave the army and join the Chargers, then?"

Beth desperately wanted to know about the argument Krem had briefly mentioned, but supposed she had better let him tell her if he ever felt like it.

"I... I got into a disagreement with one of my superiors, and I ended up deserting the army. I had no other choice" he added quickly, looking at her in the eyes, determined to get that point straight. She nodded automatically. She'd nod to anything he said, especially if he kept looking into her eyes like that.

"Anyways, deserting is punishable by death, so I was being chased accross the country. I got caught near the frontier, and was nearly beaten to death by some soldiers who were going to make an example out of me. The Chief rescued me, and gave me a job and a purpose. You know, he lost his eye defending me. I owe him a lot."

"Wow, and he didn't know you then I guess? That was really kind and brave of him."

"Yeah."

Krem shot her a side glance. Yes, the Iron Bull was a thing of wonder. He certainly did not need Krem to push women into his big muscly arms.

"He can be a real dick, too," said Krem.

His waitress chuckled merrily, unphased by his choice of words.

"You know, you seem like such a loyal, trustworthy person" she said after a while.

"I am" he assured her. You can trust me with anything, he wanted to add, I'd always be loyal to you, if you would have me.

"I don't know what happened to make you break contact with your mother, and desert the army, but whatever it was it must have been pretty serious if it actually got you, of all people, to turn away from duty. You face dragons and demons and burning wards and drunk idiots without hesitation."

Shit. Now's probably the time, Krem, he told himself. If you're going to tell her, now's probably the best chance you'll get. Do it.

"It was... Yeah, it was serious. I..." He struggled with himself, the air catching in his throat, going solid in there and not letting words out. His hands came up and tried to convey meaning through vague, shaky waves in the air. His heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest. The bindings suddenly felt like some sort of great snake that was slowly, mercilessly, crushing his lungs. Just speak, Krem, speak!

"It's ok, you really don't have to tell me anything. I wasn't asking, I was just... Musing aloud. So, anyways, are you enjoying it with the Chargers?"

"Yes" he breathed out, like he'd just burst out of the water. Coward. "Yes, it's great, I mean it is really hard work, but it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done. We travel all over Thedas, we meet so many different people, we have great fights, and if putting up with the Chief's jokes is the only price I have to pay for that then that's ok. Beats being a merchant."

Crap. He'd nearly said "beats being a merchant' s wife". You've missed your chance twice now, Krem, said his conscience.

"I bet" said the girl with undisguised envy.

He liked walking beside her. The top of her golden head reached just below his shoulder. Grim had told him to brace himself, saying that if he met her "in real life", outside of the tavern, and actually got to speak with her, he might be disappointed and realise that she wasn't much more than a pretty face. In a sense, Krem had kind of been hoping for that. It would solve all of his problems. However, she wasn't at all disappointing him in any way. She was beautiful as ever, but also funny, clever, and kind. It made his inner struggle all the more painful, while making him crave for her even more, if such a thing was possible. I would take you anywhere, he wanted to say. Or I'd stay here, with you. Whatever you want, as long as you'll have me.

He cleared his throat.

"So erm, you said you used to fish bog carps? In the Mire?"

"I did, yes. You soon get bored of bog cabbage."

"I was wondering how that worked, because are you not supposed to not disturb the water?"

"Yes, well, actually the dead don't mind the fish, or any movement under water. What gets them up is when you disturb the surface. But there are ways to go around that, by keeping the disruption of the surface to an absolute minimum, or by throwing something in the water somewhere far from where you're collecting your fish, to get them to go away. Usually, if you're quite small and you move very, very slowly, and very, very calmly, you can get away with doing a few steps in the water. If your legs shake, they feel that, and it wakes them. You have to be very patient and very calm."

Now that, was a surprise. This new piece of information could change a lot of things about what an expedition to the Fallow Mire could mean to future generations of mercenaries. Ironically, it had come from the one person no mercenary would have ever asked advice from: a farmer. A waitress. An elf. A girl.

"Have you.. Done that before?"

"Yes" she admitted somewhat sheepishly. "In the Mire, us youngsters didn't have much to do for fun. One of our favourite games was "Squealing Nug". You play it by having a couple of contestants walk into the bog, slowly, then it's the person who gets the furthest without waking the dead and without running away who wins."

"That sounds a bit dangerous" said Krem, not without a hint of admiration in his voice. "What happens if you do wake the dead?"

"You run" replied Beth. "They're not the fastest. It's easy to outrun them, they don't like going too far from the water. Or, you can also keep very still and very calm and see if they forget about you. Or, you can try to kill them, if you're a tough one."

"What did you used to do?"

"Me? I ran. Well, I ran when I was little, but after that I decided to try waiting calmly to see if they forgot about me, and they did! They just walked right past me. I only tried it once, but they did just leave me there, they forgot. My brother was tough though, he killed them if they woke. My sisters ran."

Just shut up already, Beth was telling herself. Being nervous made her chatty, and Krem made her very, very nervous. By the Maker, he must think her really insufferable, chatting him to death like that!

One last brag, she thought.

"I was quite good at that game, I was really good at staying calm when the dead came."

A dragon would have made for an entirely different story, thought the elf. When Haven had been attacked, the beast circling the air and burning everyone to death had her crying and shaking and begging, holding on to her saviour's neck and armor for dear life. Dragons still haunted her nightmares, even more than the corpses, the bandits, the starvation, and the dead eyes of her mother, brother and sisters. Krem did not need to know about that, though.

"I know you're brave," he said, surprising her. "I can see it. You stood up to that group of drunk soldiers all on your own, to defend somebody else."

She blushed, like she had done when he'd called her beautiful at the tavern. Surely, this was a sign that there was hope - or would she blush all the same if he had been someone else?

"Not brave like you" she whispered, but he heard her.

"Differently so. More so, if anything. You have no armor, no warhammer and no training,and you still stood up to that guy, only because it was the right thing to do and someone had to do it."

"I knew someone would step in and rescue me."

"You also knew you could get hit first."

They'd stopped walking, and his eyes were boring into hers.

"Is it sore?" He said ever so softly.

"What is?"

She had to crane her neck to look up to him. At this distance (when had he moved so close?), his shoulders blocked her view of what was behind him. Humans often had that effect on her tiny elvish self, but Krem it was neither intimidating nor frustrating, it was comforting.

"Your cheek", he replied, and his hand rose to meet her face. He stopped just before reaching it, but he was so close that she could feel the heat emanating from his fingers.

"It's- it's fine. I've had worse."

"Yes,well, you won't again" he said with determination, and her heart started beating a bit erratically. It went even crazier when Krem's hand shifted from barely touching her cheek to ghosting just over her ear.

"I saw him-" he started, and the anger was evident in his voice. He dropped his hand. "I was nearly there, I..."

"Thank you," she said, feeling a bit breathless. Could Dalia be right? Was Krem truly attracted to her? Was it real? Was he real, was he really that good a man? There had to be a catch somewhere.

"I'm really glad you were there. And before, too. And I'm really glad you asked me to dance yesterday night, and I'm really glad you're here, now, with me. I'm just really glad I met you."

This was as close as she would get to a love declaration. She worried he might think her weird, but she was a romantic, who had grown up reading the same three knight and damsel romance books, and she'd had a bit of a thing for him ever since Haven. Some part of her brain said she was just holding on to anyone decent who gave her a bit of attention, because she was so lonely. That's what her brother would have said. She did not want to spook Krem away, but she could tell he was holding back, and she wanted to make sure that her intentions were clear. She could always pull back later if he turned out to be an arse.

"Are you?" He said, and he was actually blushing, his tanned cheeks darkening further. "I mean, me too."

There was an awfully long pause during which they just sort of looked at each other, then around them, then back at each other, then at their hands... Should I take his hand? She pondered. Should I kiss him on the cheek? Make things even clearer?

"Beth," he said suddenly.

She started. He was looking straight at her, and in his eyes there was some sort of supplication, coupled with grim determination.

"I have to tell you something"

"Yes?"

"I... Listen, I... I really like you and I... I think you should know something."

"KREM!"

The gigantic, horned silhouette of the Iron Bull was coming up the nearest flight of stairs. He must get a good view from up there, thought Beth. I bet he doesn't even have to go on tiptoes.

"Chief?"

"Pack up. We're going. Beth," he added with a nod in her direction.

"Going?"

"We're off. To the storm coast, Inquisition business."

"The Chargers?"

"Yes, Krem, when I say 'we' I do actually mean we the Chargers."

"Oh right. Sure. Uh... When?"

"Today. This afternoon, we're off now."

"Today?" Repeated Krem, looking shellshocked. He looked down at Beth then back at the Qunari, looking a bit lost and confused.

"Say your goodbyes" said the Bull, a bit more gently. "I'll make sure he gets back to you" he said to Beth with what was meant to be a reassuring smile.

Oh no. Everything was going a bit too fast, she wasn't sure she liked this whole thing.

"Are you going?" She asked him uselessly.

"Yeah... I'll be back though. Save me a seat?"

"Sure."

"Save me a dance?"

She looked up. He had his cheeky smile from the night before.

"Maybe."

"Take care."

She snorted. "No, you take care, Maker!"

"I will. I'll... I'll be thinking about you. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Krem. Please take care, and come back."

The Bull cleared his throat, looking suddenly very interested in the birds flying past.

"Let's go, Krem."

Krem made to walk away, then at the last second he turned back to Beth and before she had time to react his hand came up and cupped her cheek, the one Rufford had slapped. The gesture seemed so intimate, and the contact was so soft, and his hand so warm, that Beth suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed. She wanted to lean into his touch,and she did, but all too soon he pulled his hand back and walked away. Beth did not mind though, for she was about to burst into tears.

"You alright, Krem de la creme?" Asked the Chief as they walked down the steps and towards their quarters.

"Fine. When are we going?"

"Today, I told you. I wouldn't have come to get you from your date otherwise."

"I need to do something, real quick."

"What?"

"I need to go pay a visit to soldier Rufford and lieutenant Jora. I just need to have a quick talk with them, make sure they know what's gonna happen to them if I hear they haven't been complete gentlemen when I get back."

A vicious, murderous grin slit the Bull's face.

"I might join you."