Much love to my beta, Olndina. Even if she does think I'm a cock tease ;)

It was a changed man who met up with them in the market, Anders could see that right away. Nathaniel, who was always so serious and reserved, seemed even more subdued than usual. Gideon eyed the rogue warily as Nathaniel approached him. Nathaniel opened and closed his mouth several times before finally shaking his head. Wordlessly, he held out his hand to Gideon.

"I owe you an apology," he finally said, his voice quiet. "For many things, it seems."

Anders feared that Gideon wasn't going to return the gesture, but he finally took Nathaniel's hand and briefly shook it. There was a faint smile of satisfaction on Gideon's face before he turned back to the weapons stall where he had been browsing.

Nathaniel finally noticed Anders. "You're wearing different robes." Anders could have sworn he saw a flash of appreciation on the rogue's face, but it was gone before he could tell for sure.

Anders grinned at him. He couldn't help turning around to show off his new—clean—robes. "You like them? I've been wearing the old ones for weeks. As soon as Gideon got them for me, I nipped down a side alley to change."

Nathaniel's cheeks flushed. "You changed your clothes . . . outside?"

"Well, not in front of anyone." Anders' mouth ran on before he could stop it, "Though I certainly wouldn't have minded being caught."

Nathaniel frowned as he shook his head, but Anders caught the tiniest glint of mirth in the rogue's expressive eyes.

"So," Anders continued his stroll through the market with Nathaniel beside him. "How did it go with your sister?"

Nathaniel seemed to think about that for a moment. "It was hard hearing about my father, about what he did during the Blight." He shook his head. "It's still difficult for me to believe all that."

Anders didn't reply. He had heard bits and pieces of Rendon Howe's actions during the Blight, and Gideon had filled him in on the rest. He had a hard time believing that a man capable of committing so many evil deeds within a single year would have been a saint before then.

"And what about your sister? She looked happy."

Nathaniel's face brightened. "She is. I've never seen her so content. She wants me to come back once all this is over and meet her husband. And she's with child—she's due sometime in the spring."

"She's very pretty," Anders said absentmindedly.

Nathaniel scowled at him. "Don't go getting any ideas."

Anders laughed good-naturedly. "Don't worry, Nathaniel. I may be many things, but I'm not a home-wrecker. Besides, she's not my type."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "And just what is your type?"

Anders smiled at him playfully. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Maker, he really needed to stop flirting with Nathaniel. One of these times, the rogue was going to haul off and hit him. He couldn't help himself though; Nathaniel was just too much fun to tease.

Nathaniel rolled his eyes, though he didn't seem particularly angry. "Forget I asked."

oOoOo

Finding where Kristoff had been staying was surprisingly easy. Captain Garavel hadn't been sure where exactly the Orlesian Warden was, other than that he'd headed to Amaranthine. It made sense he would be staying at one of the inns there, and as The Crown and Lion was the biggest, Gideon decided they'd start the search there.

Oghren ordered drinks for all of them while Gideon spoke with the innkeeper. Gideon joined them at the table a few minutes later and set an iron key down on the table. "Well, it seems Kristoff was here, but apparently he's skived off, hasn't been seen for over a week now."

Anders took a sip of his ale, grimacing a bit at the taste. He didn't have a whole lot of experience with drinking, but he suspected that well water had more alcohol in it than this swill. He'd seen a few bottles of Antivan Brandy behind the bar. Perhaps he could persuade Gideon to get one for the trip home.

He smiled flirtatiously at the waitress who came round to refill Oghren's mug, and was pleased to see her cheeks flush. As she returned to the kitchen, she looked back over her shoulder at him and winked. He pulled himself away from thoughts of lush breasts when he realized Gideon was talking to him. "Sorry, what was that?"

Gideon's expression was half amused, half annoyed. "I said, we should go check out Kristoff's room, see if we can find anything that'll tell us where he went to."

"Ah, right. Good idea. I'll, uh, I'll just wait here for you," Anders said distractedly, as he looked at the door to the kitchen. "You don't really need all of us to go, right?"

Gideon cast him a stern look. "Just be sure you behave yourself."

Anders grinned at him. "Now, where's the fun in that?"

He heard Nathaniel mutter something about being incorrigible as he and Oghren followed Gideon upstairs. He waited until the others were gone before getting up from the table and sauntering over to the kitchen. He cracked the door open a tad and stuck his head in. He was delighted to see that the girl was alone. He took a moment to admire how tightly her corset was laced and how short her skirt was.

He advanced into the room and wrapped his arms around her waist. He tipped his head down and captured her lips in a kiss as he gently massaged one of her plump breasts.

The girl pulled back a little, breathless from their kiss. "Why don't you meet me back here later, and we can have some fun." She smiled at him seductively. "I get off at midnight."

Anders grinned as he leaned forward and nibbled at her ear. "I can get you off right now, if you'd like." She giggled as he squeezed her backside, his other hand still on her breast.

"Anders!" He heard Gideon's voice call out from the main room.

Damnit. Trust the Commander to pick the perfect time to interrupt him.

Anders sighed in frustration. "Another time, my lady." He placed a quick kiss on the girl's cheek, grinning again as her lips curved into a delicious pout.

Gideon smirked at him as he came out from the kitchen. "Having fun?"

"I was," Anders grumbled. "Find anything useful in Kristoff's room?"

Gideon sat back down at their table. "We went through his stuff. It looks like he was headed towards a place called the Black Marsh."

Anders raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like a very inviting kind of place."

"True, but he's the best lead we have for finding out what's going on with the darkspawn." He rubbed tiredly at his face. "It's getting late. We'll stay here tonight. Oghren and I'll take Kristoff's room, and you two can share another one."

Nathaniel frowned. "Commander, is it really necessary for Anders and me to share a room? Surely they have more than enough rooms for us all. It doesn't look like there's much business right now."

Gideon made a noise of irritation. "I'm not going to waste good coin so everyone can have his own room. It's just for one night. Of course, if you'd rather bunk with Oghren, be my guest." Gideon smirked at him. "If I remember correctly from when we were children, you're a light sleeper—but Oghren's snoring shouldn't bother you too much."

"All right, all right." Nathaniel held up his hands in surrender.

Anders tried not to be annoyed by how quickly Nathaniel protested the sleeping arrangements. Honestly, it wasn't like he was going to ravish the man in his sleep. This did put a crimp in his plans for the evening, however, as there was no way he was going to be able to bed that pretty little waitress with Nathaniel in the same room. He tried to hide his smile as he imagined asking Nathaniel if he'd like to join them. He didn't fancy dying just yet, though.

Anders was getting ready for bed in their shared room when Nathaniel made a strangled noise. "Maker's breath, Mage, what are you doing?"

He looked at Nathaniel in confusion. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting ready for bed." He finished folding his new robes and set them neatly on a nearby chair.

Nathaniel's cheeks were pink. "Do you always sleep naked?"

"Of course I do. What am I supposed to wear, my robes?" He smirked. "If you don't like it, don't look."

Nathaniel glared at him, but turned around without saying anything else. Anders had a strong desire to watch the man undress, but he didn't think that would go over very well. Very little that Anders did seemed to go over well with the broody rogue. He shook his head as he settled between the crisp sheets and fell asleep almost immediately.

oOoOo

Several hours later, he became aware of a warm body pressed up against him. He opened his eyes to the sight of Nathaniel nuzzling at his neck. He grinned—he knew the rogue would give in sooner or later. He gasped in pleasure when Nathaniel bit gently at his neck. He felt the rogue's hot breath in his ear as Nathaniel whispered into it.

"I want you, Anders." Nathaniel's voice was like coarse velvet. "I can't stop thinking about you, thinking about touching you, tasting you—" he ran his tongue along the shell of Anders' ear—"fucking you." Anders moaned when Nathaniel grasped his quickly stiffening length. He tried to kiss the other man, but couldn't quite seem to manage it. Nathaniel shimmied down his body and suddenly he felt wet heat surrounding his cock. Anders whined in pleasure as Nathaniel swallowed more and more of his length. Nathaniel's tongue played along his length as he started bobbing his head. Sooner than he would have preferred, Anders felt himself nearing his peak. Almost there . . . almost there . . .

His eyes flew open, and the sensation of Nathaniel's lips wrapped around him vanished. He took several sharp breaths as the blood continued pounding in his ears, and he realized he was in bed alone. By the faint sliver of moonlight that shone through the window, he could see that Nathaniel was still in his own bed, fast asleep. Anders sighed—sometimes he really hated the Fade. It wasn't always easy for a mage to tell what was real and what wasn't; somewhere, there was probably a desire demon laughing its arse off at him. Temptation, thy name is Nathaniel. He chuckled quietly.

He thumped his pillow a couple of times to get more comfortable and tried to get back to sleep, which turned out to be more difficult than he'd hoped. His dream had had quite an effect on him, and he found that he was extremely aroused. He fidgeted for a bit longer, trying in vain to ignore his erection. It was no use, though; he was just too tense. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked across the room at Nathaniel. He seemed to be asleep—at least his eyes were closed. Anders debated for a little longer before finally giving in to his desires.

Lying back down onto the bed, he trailed his hand slowly down his stomach before wrapping his fingers around his length. Taking a firm grasp, he began slowly stroking himself.

Nathaniel's face danced behind his closed eyes, but it didn't seem right to use images of his fellow Warden to pleasure himself—mostly because said Warden was mere feet away from him. He thought of the buxom waitress whom he'd met up with earlier. He tried to envision running his lips over her creamy skin, burying his face in those full breasts that practically spilled out of the top of her bodice.

Nope, nothing. He sighed in frustration. All right, what about Gideon? He might be more than a little intimidating, but he was still attractive. He thought of Gideon's broad shoulders, his strong hands . . . he let out another frustrated sigh. Still nothing.

Hesitantly, he imagined Nathaniel practicing his archery, clad in his leather armor—no, topless, with tight leather breeches accentuating the curves of his backside. His cock gave a twitch of appreciation. Nathaniel standing out in the sun on a hot day, the sweat running down his bare chest in rivulets: oh yes . . . that's more like it. He tightened his grip and quickened his pace as he pictured himself dipping his tongue into the rogue's navel and lapping up the salty sweat pooled there.

He bit at his lip to keep from moaning too loudly; having spent his adolescent years in a dormitory full of other young men, he was experienced in doing this without making too much noise (unless he wanted someone to hear him), but he couldn't stop the occasional gasp as he began stroking himself harder.

His mind's eye watched as he loosened Nathaniel's breeches and reached inside to grasp the other man's length. His strokes came faster as he imagined suckling at the tip of Nathaniel's erection, running his lips up and down that hot length. Unable to contain a groan of pleasure, he buried his face in the crook of his free arm. It took all the self-control he had to keep from crying out Nathaniel's name as he climaxed, spilling his seed onto his stomach.

Anders blinked a few times as he tried to regain his senses. Maker, this was ridiculous. What had started out as mere attraction was obviously turning into an obsession. There were plenty of people out there for Anders to dally with, ones who would welcome his advances, unlike Nathaniel. So why was he being constantly plagued by thoughts of the rogue, even in sleep?

Maybe it was just a matter of wanting what he couldn't have. Anders perked up at that thought—of course, that's all it was. He sighed in relief. The best plan of action would be to stop flirting with Nathaniel completely and focus his efforts on people he actually had a chance with.

He looked down at his stomach and noticed the mess he had made. He grabbed the spare blanket at the foot of the bed and used it to clean himself before shoving it under the covers. His body relaxed from his release, he turned on his side and slipped into the Fade once more. If he had been thinking clearly, he might have remembered Gideon's words about how Nathaniel was a light sleeper. As it was, he didn't remember, nor did he notice the slate grey eyes that were watching him intently as he drifted off to sleep.

oOoOo

When Anders awoke the next morning, Nathaniel was already gone, his bed neatly made. He wandered down to the common room and found his fellow Wardens enjoying a large breakfast. As he joined them, he noticed Nathaniel watching him, an unreadable expression on his face. When he caught Anders looking at him, he quickly glanced away.

They were just leaving the inn when a familiar-looking woman brushed past Anders, headed in the opposite direction. He caught her arm. "Namaya? You're still here?" He looked at her in disbelief. "I figured you would have left by now."

Namaya scowled at him. "Of course I'm still here. Unlike you, I keep my promises."

He ignored the snort of laughter coming from the vicinity of Oghren. "Well, did you find anything out? About, you know"—he lowered his voice—"the cache."

She nodded. "It's here, just like you thought."

Anders breathed a sigh of relief. Finally. "Do you know where?"

"There's a warehouse at the south end of the market, just past the weaponsmith's."

Grinning from ear to ear, Anders pulled her into a big hug. "You are an angel." He released her and gave her a peck on the forehead.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Just remember, we're even now."

Anders nodded in agreement. "Absolutely." He couldn't help but admire the view as she walked away from him, hips swinging. He turned around and noticed Gideon watching him intently. "Ah, yes. I suppose that requires some explanation."

Gideon smirked. "Friend of yours?"

Anders grinned. "You could say that. She's the reason I came to Amaranthine, actually. She was looking into something for me. See, the Templars thought I came here to take a ship to the Free Marches, but I was actually looking for my phylactery. You do know what a phylactery is, right?"

Gideon nodded. "It's a vial of your blood, isn't it? The Templars can use it to track you."

"Exactly. Normally they're housed in the Chantry in Denerim. But during the Blight they were moved. Namaya found out that they'd been moved here, so she came on ahead to scout the city for me, see if she could find out exactly where the Templars are storing them."

"And what did she mean about the two of you being even now?" Gideon asked.

"She, uh, owed me a favor." Anders chuckled. "See, there was this one time that we—"

Oghren grunted. "Keep it to yerself, Sparklefingers."

Anders turned back to Gideon. "You know how the Templars treat us mages. As long as they have my phylactery, I'll never be free of them. I need to destroy it."

Nathaniel finally spoke. "If these phylacteries are that important, a vacant warehouse doesn't seem like a particularly secure place to store them. It could be an ambush."

Anders shrugged. "I still have to try. I can't pass up this chance. Now that the Blight's over, the phylacteries could be returned to Denerim any day now. And I've no chance of stealing it out from under the Revered Mother's nose."

He looked at Gideon pleadingly. "Please, Commander. I know we're busy with other things, but if we could just go look . . ."

"Of course we'll look." Gideon responded immediately, surprising Anders. He'd expected an argument, or at least some resistance to the idea. "It isn't right that the Chantry can control mages like that," Gideon said. "If we do find the phylacteries, we're destroying all of them, not just yours."

Anders chuckled. "I won't say no to that."

They made their way through the city to the far side of the market. "This must be it." Anders pointed to a large building abutting the city wall. Tools in hand, Nathaniel moved forward to pick the lock on the door, only to find that it was already unlocked. He looked pointedly at Anders. "This doesn't bode well."

Anders looked to Gideon, hoping that the Commander wouldn't change his mind. Gideon shrugged. "We may as well check it out. Just be on your guard." Nathaniel nodded as he opened the door, ushering the others inside.

The huge main room was empty, save for a few crates and boxes; there weren't nearly enough to store all of the phylacteries that Anders knew existed. Still, they went through all of them, just in case. They came up with a few fairly decent pieces of armor—including some nice gloves and boots that Anders quickly claimed—but no phylacteries.

Oghren pointed to a door on the far wall. "In there, maybe?" Gideon strode towards the door, the others close on his heels. At first sight, the small room looked just as empty as the main one. Then Anders heard a soft clicking sound as the door behind them was closed.

A woman's voice came from the shadows. "And here I thought the infamous Anders might not take the bait."

Rylock. Anders threw his hands up in disgust. "Of course. I should've known it'd be you." He glared at her as she emerged from the shadows where she had been waiting. "Honestly, do you not have anything better to do than to chase after me?"

Gideon put his hand on his still-sheathed sword. "What are you doing here, Rylock?"

"I'm here to make sure this murderer pays for his crimes."

Anders stared at her in disbelief. "What? No, you can't do that! I'm a Grey Warden now; King Alistair allowed my conscription."

Rylock looked at him smugly. "The Chantry supersedes the Crown in this matter."

Gideon was not impressed. "And the Wardens supersede the Chantry. We can conscript anyone we want, including mages."

"You may be the 'Hero of Ferelden,'" Rylock sneered, "but the Grey Wardens don't hold as much power here as you think. Now hand him over!"

Gideon looked at her as if she was a piece of garbage stuck to the bottom of his shoe. "No."

She snarled. "Then you die with him!" She drew her sword as two more Templars emerged from their hiding places behind the door.

A wave of nausea washed through Anders as he felt his mana being drained. Fucking Templars! He ignored the weakness in his limbs and shrugged his staff off of his back. He may not be able to use it for casting magic, but it was still a formidable weapon in its own right. He felt disoriented and a little dazed as he always did after a draining, but he could see Gideon and Oghren fighting the two Templars who had accompanied Rylock. Nathaniel was nowhere to be seen—he'd most likely melted into the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike from behind.

He suddenly caught sight of Rylock rushing him, sword raised. He raised his staff just in time to block the blow, but the force pushed him backwards. Rylock advanced on him until he was pinned against the wall, the point of her sword pressed against his throat. He felt a thin trickle of blood run down his neck as the Templar pushed a bit harder, only just puncturing his skin.

"Idiot," Rylock hissed. "You should know by now that you can never truly escape the Circle."

Suddenly, Rylock's eyes opened in surprise. She gasped, and blood bubbled up out of her mouth. The sword that had been moments away from ending his life fell from her slack fingers. He watched as she crumpled to the ground. He looked up to see Nathaniel standing there, blood dripping from his dagger.

Nathaniel was staring down at the Templar's lifeless body with contempt. "And you should know never to leave your back unguarded."

Anders giggled, a touch of hysteria in his voice. The shock of almost dying at the Templar's hand was causing him to come undone a little. His legs finally gave out and he slid downwards against the wall.

Nathaniel looked at him with concern. "You're hurt."

Anders blinked at him up at him. "I am?"

Nathaniel knelt down and lightly touched Anders' neck. When his hand came away, his fingers were smudged with blood. "You should heal yourself."

Anders shook his head. "Can't yet. No mana."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see you cast any spells."

Anders chuckled wryly. "I never got a chance to. The damned Templars drained me."

"Drained you?"

"Templars have the ability to drain mana. That's how the bastards fight mages." He gave Nathaniel a weak smile. "I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"Here." Gideon tossed Anders a lyrium potion he'd found on one of the Templars. Anders quickly downed it and healed himself.

Seemingly satisfied that Anders was all right, Nathaniel stood up and extended his hand. Anders took it and allowed the rogue to pull him to his feet. "Thanks," he smiled at Nathaniel.

Nathaniel's lips quirked into a smile. "Anytime."

Anders cleared his throat and looked away, hoping the other man wouldn't notice the faint blush that suffused his cheeks.

"Come on," Gideon said to them. "Let's get out of here before anyone else tries to kill us."

Anders nodded in agreement. As far as he was concerned, they couldn't get out of there soon enough.