It was quiet. That was the first thing Anders noticed.

Hightown was still asleep despite the fact that the light told him it was two hours past sunrise. Apparently, the high and mighty could afford to sleep in.
'Them and the thoroughly shagged.' Anders chuckled, hand reaching out to touch nothing. Figured.

There was a depression in the bed where Fenris must have slept but it was already cold.

Memories of last night flooded Anders' mind and despite the sobering realisation what they had done to each other, he couldn't find it in him to feel shame or regret. It had been good. Really good. Given the choice he would do it again in a heartbeat.

And it wasn't just the great sex. It was quiet!

'Lyrium, it must be the lyrium in his skin. Maker, what would he say if I told him that all it takes to keep a spirit possessing a host in check is for him to shag them senseless?' Anders laughed at his own thought until tears streamed down his face.

When he had calmed down he lay naked on top of the rumpled covers staring at the shadows on the ceiling. He would have to think about this more seriously. The implications were potentially significant but Anders couldn't get his head around this now. What he needed to do first was to get out of this bed that smelled like sex and Fenris. It was making him horny all over again and sadly he had more pressing matters to deal with.

He dressed slowly wincing slightly as he bent over to reach for his breeches. Ah, Fenris had been passionate in his lovemaking, or maybe he was just no longer used to being taken in that way whichever he was a little sore and too proud to use healing magic on his arse. Well, that and part of him liked the reminder that he had been with another man. He could already feel Justice disapproval on the edge of his consciousness but it was faint, he could ignore it for now. Just a little longer.

When he had dressed he was forced to choose between leaving quietly – his old self would have preferred that option, or to go and look for Fenris to make sure he was okay – to his surprise he actually cared. Anders knew that from a certain point of view what he had done or let happen last night could be seen as taking advantage of whatever madness had come over Fenris but since it was his arse that was throbbing this morning he decided to call it even. Still, the broody elf was probably, well, brooding dark thoughts somewhere.

With a sigh, Anders grabbed his staff and went to look for the wine cellar.

xXx

'Foolfoolfoolfool...fool...

What have I done?'

xXx

On his way through the mansion Anders discovered that the so-called rotting corpses Varric kept telling him about were actually scarecrows. Apparently, Fenris had a sense of humour after all. Anders chided himself for having believed the dwarf in the first place. Really, who would leave corpses lying around for years and years?

As expected the mage found the warrior sitting on the floor in the wine cellar, clad only in his leggings. He had his head buried in his folded arms.

Anders had seen it before. When you got into a tight spot in the Deep Roads, trapped, be it a cave in or too many injured to go against a majority force of darkspawn, eventually even the strongest gave in to that feeling of utter defeat if only for a few hours. The elf had that look about him now.

'Are you still here?' Fenris asked without looking at him, sounding irritated and tired.

The familiar surly tone was equally reassuring and infuriating and made Anders wonder why he had bothered. Out loud he said, 'That's a "no" on breakfast I take it?'

Fenris looked up. His eyes were red-rimmed as if he hadn't slept at all or as if...

Anders swallowed dry. Maker curse his soft heart thrice over! 'Are you all right?' He asked softly.

The elf snorted, his lips curling into a disgusted snarl. 'Let's get this over with.' Anders watched Fenris get up from the floor and lean against the cold cellar wall. Goosebumps covered the elf's arms and bare chest, turning the nipples into hard pebbles but Fenris didn't seem to care or notice. Anders however found it very distracting.

The warrior's scowl deepened as he noticed Anders staring longingly at his chest. 'Stop leering!'

'But it's so there!' Anders wanted to say and thought better of it.

'Mage, what happened last night was madness. I...can't believe I am doing this but for what it's worth I am sorry.'

That was so not what Anders had expected. He had taken advantage of the situation and the elf was apologising?

'Um, I... you don't need to apologise. It was good,' Anders replied and when Fenris stared at him in utter disbelieve he added, 'really good.'

Why was the mage still here? How could he even say...?

The man was either oblivious to the situation or he didn't care. Maker forgive him, it still hurt to look at him. No, in a way it hurt even more because shame and guilt had taken the place of hate after last night. Fenris wished he could blame it on the mage's resemblance to him but it had been Fenris' weakness that had allowed it to happen in the first place. He had let his desire take control over his sanity and in a fashion taken back what he so desperately wanted. But he had gotten more than what he had bargained for and the truth tasted like ashes in his mouth.

'You are not listening! I do not want you and I did not want you last night. I... I wasn't myself.'

'So you admit that something is wrong. I know you won't accept my help but I think I deserve an explanation since I won't be able to sit for the next few days,' Anders snapped, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

'Are you... did I hurt you?' Fenris asked seriously horrified at the thought that he had forced himself on the mage. Nobody deserved that, not even an abomination.

He shouldn't have worried because Anders smirked back immediately. 'No, you didn't. I meant it when I said it was...'

'Good, I heard you, spare me...'

'Really good!' Fenris could hear the exclamation mark.

'Mage, shut up! It shouldn't have happened. It wasn't... I used you!' Fenris rubbed his eyes in a futile attempt to make it all go away. When he looked up, Anders stood right in front of him. Thankfully, the abomination didn't try to touch him although the elf could tell that he wanted to and to his further dismay and shame part of him wanted Anders to just do it. How much further could he fall?

'Then answer me one question, you owe me that at least.'

Fenris couldn't find the strength in him to fight any more. 'Go on.'

'Who is Lucifer?'

xXx

'My name is Lucifer. I'm your master's new apprentice.' The blond mage smirked. Leto felt his bravado slip away as he lowered his head. 'Please forgive me, I had no idea. I will accept any punishment for my disgusting behaviour.'

'Oh no, that won't do,' Lucifer huffed, 'we had such a good time and now this. I'm still the same guy.'

xXx

'You really don't have the temperament for a slave,' Lucifer remarked, sounding quite amused.

'So I have been told,' Leto grumbled back but he kept his scowl fixed onto his bare toes.

The surprising sound of rich laughter made him look up after all. Lucifer's soft amber eyes twinkled with mirth while the setting sun painted his blond hair in shades of gold and red. The future magister's whole body was shaking with laughter which made Leto even angrier with the man but the angrier he became the more the other seemed to dissolve into fits of more laughter until he almost fell off the wall.

'Will you cut it out already!' Leto finally snapped.

Lucifer stopped immediately looking at Leto with the most grave expression he had ever seen on the man.

For all of three seconds.

'Don't ever change,' Lucifer said before his lips found Leto's in a passionate kiss.

xXx

'You are free and we can be together.'

'I cannot come with you. Mother and Varania, I can't bear the thought of them being still here while you and I are …'

'You and I are what? Fucking our brains out? Because that's exactly what I intend to do.' Lucifer replied hotly but as always his anger died down as fast as it flared. 'Leto please, don't do this. Do you have any idea what this costs me?'

'Ah, so I am free as long as I am yours? Your very own elven fuck-toy is that it? Is that what I am to you?'

'That's not fair! You know you are not,' Lucifer replied quietly, amber eyes betraying how deep Leto's words had cut.

'Forgive me, love,' the elf asked as he quickly closed his arms around his lover, holding him in a tight embrace. 'We will find another way.'

xXx

'Then this tourney is our best chance. I can win freedom for my family and I will gain more power than any slave as ever held. Trust me, we will be together.'

'And you will be Danarius' pet!' Lucifer spat the name as if it was poison.

'Yes, but pets turn on their masters all the time,' Leto replied with a feral grin.

xXx

The world was made of pain. White hot pain and darkness until a cold gentle voice brought him light and a purpose.

'Get up my little wolf.'

'What am I?'

'You are Fenris and I am your master. You exist to serve me. Do you understand?'

'Yes, master.'

xXx

'Leto, I lo...'

The glowing fist met no resistance, piercing cloth and flesh until it found the beating muscle in the mage's chest. It felt strong but he was stronger.

Fenris looked into amber coloured eyes that stared at him in disbelieve and something else that he had never seen before. Later he would learn to recognise it as betrayal by someone you thought was a friend, a lover.

When the warm blood of the beautiful stranger ran over his gauntlet and arm, Danarius' voice praised him, 'Well done, my little wolf. Now come along.' And he went without looking back.

His past was gone and all that remained was a magister's weapon who slept in the dark on a leash chained to the foot of his master's bed.

Until the wolf slipped his chain and watched another mage's red-gold hair fly in the breeze on a beach on the Wounded Coast near Kirkwall.

xXx

'Fenris, who is Lucifer?' Anders asked again when the elf hadn't answered.

Fenris wasn't sure how the mage knew the name. He must have said something last night. He couldn't remember any more. The memories, they had come back in a rush, all of them only to slip from his grasp once more with the dawn of the new day. All except one.

Fenris closed his eyes . 'He was my first kill.'

xXx

Anders stared at the elf for a long time. It didn't take much to put two and two together,

'Danarius ordered you to kill your lover, and you ...did it.' It was a statement not a question.

'I was a slave and I had no idea who he was,' Fenris snarled back. He fixed Anders with a glare but it had no real venom in it, just pain and unshed tears.

'I know,' Anders raised a hand in defence and almost, almost reached out to touch Fenris but the elf jerked his body to the side to avoid any physical contact and proceeded to walk toward the exit.

'Fenris,' the healer called after him. 'Lucifer was a mage, wasn't he?'

The elf kept his back to him as he stood under the arch of the door. 'He was,' Fenris replied before he vanished into the darkness of the stairs.

The End