They had been traveling down into the deep roads for a day now. The expedition party had started the journey in high spirits, but the frigid darkness of the deep roads soon sapped away their enthusiasm and energy. Descending beneath the earth seemed to have the most impact on the dwarven hirelings in the group. When the trip first began, the stout and raucous dwarves were full of mirth. As the descent continued, a solemn sorrow found its way to their hearts as they thought back to their former glory. The halls of the deep roads had once been beautiful. Now nature eroded away their past and darkspawn tainted their thaigs.
Bartrand, however, remained merry and almost giddy. Anders swore he had seen golden sovereigns appear in the dwarf's pupils. Vivien and Varric practically had to pin him down to convince him to stop for the night and set up camp. The elder Tethras brother would probably have marched the expedition party for a week straight before resting. Funny how greed seemed to cancel out his basic life needs.
Everyone sighed gratefully as Bartrand relented and rushed to set up his own tent. He was eager to sleep and wake and continue the search for riches. As Bartrand withdrew from the main group, the hirelings began to relax. The humans and dwarves set up camp quickly and then built a central fire to rest their weary bodies by. Numerous people began to pull mead and other strong drinks for their pouches. As drink was passed around, the gathering around the fire became festive and cheery.
Anders was drinking from a flask when the dwarf sitting next to him pulled out a lute. The fire gathering watched him patiently as he plucked a few strings and tuned the instrument. Suddenly, a gleeful tune burst from the dwarf and his lute, filling the cavern with musical giddiness. The dwarves sitting around the fire began to clap along with the beat. Soon, the humans joined in too, hollering and cheering.
Despite his hate for the deep roads, Anders was actually enjoying himself. He laughed and began to clap too. He looked across the crowd to try to spot Vivien. She was on the other side of the fire, the flames lit up her smiling face as she clapped with the rest of the group. Anders was momentarily mesmerized by her beauty. She had removed her upper armor for the night and wore a short-sleeved chemise that showed off her navel.
Vivien caught Anders gaze and smiled. Anders felt his heart speed up. He watched as the Hawke woman turned her attention back to Varric. They laughed about something and then abruptly stood up. The cavern burst with laughter as Varric and Vivien began to dance around the fire. The dwarf on the other side of Anders then pulled out his drums and matched the cheery beat of the lute. Vivien smiled brightly as she spun and twirled around and around the fire. Varric had had his fair share of beer and laughed at himself as he stumbled to keep up. A few of the spectators joined in and one of the female dwarf hirelings grabbed Varric's hand to dance with him.
All the male human hirelings wanted to dance with Hawke. In good spirits she would briefly touch hands and spun around them but quickly twirled away to dance on her own. Seemingly having enough of male attention, Vivien pulled Isabella out of the spectators and the two women danced and laughed. Isabella attempted to tug Fenris into the fray but that put the elf out of his comfort zone. He kindly declined and withdrew to his tent.
The entire group was now twirling about the fire. Some with partners and some on their own. Anders was the only one still sitting with the music playing dwarves. He watched in awe as Vivien gracefully danced towards him. She glanced down and looked almost shocked to see him sitting. Breaking away from the group, Vivien ran towards Anders and extended her hand. Anders was unable to think. The mage grabbed her hand and she pulled him into standing. Still hand in hand, Vivien and Anders returned to the center of the dancers. Anders proudly took the lead. Living in his circle his whole life had led to a lot of time on his hands. He and the other mages danced quite often in Ferelden.
Anders felt a distinct satisfaction when he caught a few of the men watching him and Hawke enviously. She was a real beauty, dancing in the firelight. Vivien giggled and gripped Anders tightly as the dancing pace continued to intensify. The song was reaching its end dramatically. The whooping and hollering grew louder. Anders and Vivien found themselves holding each other tighter and tighter as the music reached a peak of energy. They feared letting go of each other lest they be consumed by the moving bodies surrounding them. The song finally ended with a powerful fervor. The dancers stood for a moment, basking in the firelight, before a new and calmer tune began to play.
Vivien looked into Anders eyes and smiled elatedly. He smiled back.
"I never would have guessed you were a dancer!" Vivien said while panting.
"Yes, well, before I was on the run from Templars and Wardens, I had nothing to do but shimmy around like a fool!"
Vivien laughed and then nodded towards a large rock, slightly away from those who continued to dance.
"Come, share a drink with me," She said, "I'll need some downtime before sleep after all that excitement!"
Hawke nimbly made her way towards the seat as Anders followed her lithe form. She reached out a hand to take Anders flask before he sat down beside her. They sat in silence for a while. Vivien smiled distantly while watching the merriment near the fire. Anders could not help admiring her. Her skin glistened slightly from the sweat of dancing. Hawke reminded Anders of a starry night. Her hair was soft and black as midnight while her eyes were a vibrant blue with a mischievous twinkle. Vivien came back from her trance and drank from the flask. Anders could not help noticing how nice the chemise showed off her breasts.
He quickly took his eyes away from Vivien's chest when she pulled the flask away from her lips. She leaned into Anders and pulled his arm around to rest on her shoulders. As she handed him the flask, Anders wondered if this was just a friendly gesture or something more. He feigned a cough and drained the rest of the alcohol.
"Whoa! Slow down there. We'll have to make it last if we plan to make it through the deep roads. I think the mead is gift from the maker when it comes to handling our lovely Bartrand". Vivien swiped the flask away and pretended to be mock-stern.
Anders smiled and raised his eyebrow. "Maybe I need it to handle you! Forget demons and darkspawn. It is beautiful temptresses like you who men need to be wary of."
Hawke slowly looked away a gently bit her bottom lip. When she brought her eyes back to his, she said: "Oh, tempting, am I?"
Anders smiled on the outside. On this inside, he felt a confused turmoil again. His heart could not deny it; he ached for Vivien. He longed for her touch, her kiss, and her love. His head scolded him. Justice scolded him. Anders feared harming her, whether it be physical or emotional. It was too much to think about now. He decided to change the subject.
"So, I noticed you are pretty good at dancing yourself." Anders said neutrally.
Vivien winked at replied: "Oh? Does this surprise you? It surprises most people to see it from a Ferelden girl who grew up poor." She closed her eyes as if trying to recall a memory. "Mother was a noble runaway. We were raised like proper Hightowners. Just with more wet dog smell and constantly avoiding authority."
Anders suddenly found himself very curious about Vivien's life in Ferelden.
"Did you ever resent having to form your whole life around protecting your father and sister?"
Vivien instantly looked shocked at this question. "No! Not once! Father is … was my hero and Bethany is my most cherished friend."
More questions filled his head. They conversed for almost an hour and Anders learned a lot about the eldest Hawke sister. It touched Anders heart to hear Vivien talk about her family. She was normally such a sarcastic and carefree person. As she poured her heart out about Bethany, Carver, and their parents, Anders realized she was strongly family-oriented.
Vivien stopped talking after a while and watched the fire dim. Anders could tell the night was catching up to her and she needed sleep.
He was about to mention sleep when Vivien said, "Well, it seems I've talked your ear off about myself. Maybe tomorrow night it will be your turn. I'd love to hear about you."
Anders felt lonely as Vivien moved away to stand from the rock. She yawned and sleepily said goodnight to Anders as she made her way to the tents. He kept his eyes on her as she made her way to her own tent. When she disappeared behind the flap, Anders sighed.
She is trouble, Anders. Trouble and a distraction. You sicken me, losing track because of some doe-eyed girl.
Anders snarled and marched off to his own sleeping quarters, eager to shut out Justice and his poisonous thoughts.