A/N: My internet is currently on the fritz so if this has gotten up late, that's why.

Also I have no AC or heat. (The weather is a bit crazy right now so I need both.)

I have also used up all the data on my phone.

KILL ME.

Ashlyn wandered the halls of the castle, glad to finally be back in Denerim. Back home, she reminded herself. It was still an odd concept.

She had returned from Weisshaupt only yesterday, and had never been more happy to get some relaxation time. Throughout her childhood and teenage years, Ashlyn had always harbored a craving for adventure and excitement, and was rarely seen sitting down. She'd constantly been out in the training yards with her father's soldiers, honing her skills. In fact, it was her 'unladylike pursuits' that had scared off most, if not all, of her suitors.

The woman gave a little amused smile. She'd been so against marrying anyone only a couple of years ago, and now her wedding was only weeks away, and she was terribly excited. Alistair was different from any other nobleman she had met – presumably because he wasn't a nobleman. He didn't have the sense of entitlement most did – a fault she knew she bore at times – and had a natural want to help others. Never once had he seen her as an object, a pretty thing to wear on his arm, or a ticket to higher society. He loved her for who she was, and the thought alone made her heart sing.

Maker, she thought to herself with a depreciating sigh. I've turned into a love struck young fool. Then again, perhaps all people who fell in love turned into such.

The only real problem she'd had since returning home was that she hadn't gotten any time alone with her husband-to-be and had no idea when she might. He was far too busy dealing with various official matters due to the Blight and the civil war having just ended, and she had immediately found herself buried in preparations for the wedding. In fact, she was out here in the halls specifically to avoid Leliana and her insistence on making her try on a hundred different dresses. And Maker, the shoes. Ashlyn liked shoes as much as the next woman, but –

A sudden hand grabbing her wrist and yanking her into an alcove had her yelping in surprise, but the sound was cut off by another hand covering her mouth. One arm went about her waist, dragging her deeper into the shadows, and she snapped into defensive mode. A swift bite was delivered to the palm over her mouth, followed by a deep grunt of pain, and when the arm around her loosened she dropped her weight, surprising her captor and making him stumble. She was about to go down on a knee and pull him over her shoulder in his unbalanced state when she heard a voice say "Ash, it's me!"

Ashlyn whipped her head around to see Alistair looking at her with an abashed and somewhat fearful expression.

The adrenaline dropped out of Ashlyn in a rush, leaving her feet tingling as it always seemed to. "Maker's breath, Alistair! I could have killed you!"

"In retrospect, that…probably wasn't the best idea," he agreed reluctantly, rubbing his hand with a wince. Guilt immediately overcoming her, Ashlyn gently took his injured hand and pressed a kiss to the bite, giving him an apologetic look. Alistair smiled at the action.

"Why did you drag me in here, anyway?" Ashlyn asked with a tilt of her head.

"Well," Alistair began in a raunchy tone she knew too well. "Since we haven't gotten any alone time yet…" he stepped into her personal space, making her back into the wall. He then placed his hands on either side of her head. "And since I haven't seen you in so long…"

By this time Ashlyn was grinning, trying desperately to hold back girlish giggles. It was not going well. Alistair had an almost vulgar smile of his own, and was leaning in tortuously slow. With a snort and roll of her eyes, Ashlyn gripped the front of his tunic and pulled him down to kiss her. She could feel him smiling against her lips as he pressed little butterfly kisses to them, and she was chortling when he went to kiss her neck instead.

"You, know, someone could see us any second now," she laughed.

"Nonsense, no one's even in this part of the castle except us," he muttered happily against her throat, and then looked up when she gave an almost shrieking giggle. "What?"

"Your beard just tickled me is all," she replied, trying half-heartedly to push him away.

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" With that he went right back to kissing her neck, being absolutely sure to let his stubble brush against her skin, making her wiggle in his arms, trying to stifle her laughter. A smack was delivered to his shoulder that he completely ignored, trailing his way to the other side of her neck. He then surprised her, biting down on a spot he knew she adored, and a little gasp escaped her as she arched into him. Her fingers clutched his shoulders, and deciding he wasn't quite done torturing her, Alistair started tickling her ribs as well.

This time she couldn't hold back the small shriek and she squirmed in a frantic attempt to get away. She finally managed to push him away only when he let her, a grin still on his lips.

"You beast!" she scolded breathlessly, though her eyes danced.

"Yep, I'm a bad man," he agreed with a completely unapologetic grin. He leaned back down to plant a chaste kiss on her mouth. "I am sorry my dear, I just wanted to see you while I had a few moments to myself. Unfortunately I do have to get back to work. There's a lot of work on my end too with the wedding so soon."

"It's alright," she said, reaching to embrace him. She laid her head on his chest as his arms wrapped around her, listening to his heartbeat. "I have a lot to do as well. I was just trying to escape Leliana."

He chuckled. "With as crafty as that woman is, she probably knows exactly where you are."

Ashlyn snorted. "Probably. Maker, I hope she didn't see this."

Alistair smiled and kissed her forehead. "You'd best get used to it."

She frowned as he pulled away, gently leading her by the hand out of the alcove. "What do you mean?"

He shot her a wink. "You'll see."

Confused, Ashlyn stared after her fiancé as he strode back down the hallway, a bounce in his step.

Over the next few days, various maids and guardsmen reported hearing strange noises coming from empty hallways and corners they passed. The most frequent sound that was apparently heard were giggles and gasps.

The sounds stopped when the Warden-Commander took a sudden and brief trip to the Circle, and then picked back up when she returned.

When the answer to the mysterious noises was clear, the rumors were abruptly cut short, and only secret smiles were passed among the servants when they were heard in the weeks leading up to the wedding.

A/N: Neck nuzzles. :3

Special thanks to NonOmnisMoriar for your review! It was super sweet!

By the way, if you guys have any quick prompts for things you'd like to see me write in to this story, send me a PM, leave a review, whatever you want. :) I've still got ideas, I just think it would be fun to see what you guys hope to see in here!