Author's Note: Well, this is the final chapter of this story. I hope everyone enjoyed it! I never expected it to be more than two chapters, but the words kept flowing. There maybe another story for DA:I, but I want to finish a few other stories before that. Until then, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Josephine leans against the railing of the balcony as she looks out at the snow-capped mountains surrounding Skyhold. The cold breeze causes her to shudder uncontrollably as the sun sinks below the Frostback Mountains. "Why don't you come back inside?" Evelyn asks as she moves to the open doorway leading to the balcony.
The Ambassador turns towards her, a hint of blush colours her cheeks. "The view is just so beautiful here, I have a hard time tearing myself away from it."
Lady Trevelyan smirks as she continues to stare at the Antivan. "It is very beautiful."
"But you are not... oh..." Josephine smiles as her cheeks flush even brighter as she notices that the Inquisitor was not referring to the landscape. She walks back towards the doorway and shivers as the wind picks up.
Wrapping an arm around the Ambassador's waist, Evelyn pulls her back into the room and closes the door. "Come, let's sit by the fire. Maybe you will find warmth in its gentle glow." The Free Marcher leads Josephine to the hearth and gently kisses the Antivan's temple. She steps away from Josephine to push the sofa in front of the fireplace. Grunting as she pushes the heavy piece of furniture, Evelyn sighs in relief as she finally moves it to her desired location.
"I could have helped you with that, you know," Josephine says as she crosses her arms in front of her chest. "You did not have to do that on your own."
Evelyn smirks as she looks at the Antivan woman. "I wanted to make sure you were taken care of, my darling. Evening can be brutally cold this high up in the castle, I wanted to make sure you were warm enough, besides it was not too much of a problem to move." She raises a hand towards Josephine. "Here allow me to help you to your seat."
The Ambassador rolls her eyes at the Inquisitor's playful manner. "Ever the gentlewoman I see."
"But of course!" Evelyn exclaims as she ensures that Josephine is seated on the sofa properly. "Now if you do not mind, my lady..." The Free Marcher trails off as she raises her eyebrows at the Antivan.
Josephine giggles uncontrollably and sighs. "Of course, Lady Trevelyan, where are my manners? You may be seated."
The Inquisitor smirks again and sits down beside Josephine. Instinctively, the Antivan wraps her arm around Evelyn's waist and places her head on her shoulder. "I am so glad you were not harmed. When I first found out that you were going to duel Lord Otranto, I was so worried. Then when we arrived..." She sighs and stares up into Trevelyan's vivid green eyes. "When we arrived, I heard the crowds, the swords ringing against one another... it was the most exciting thing I had ever seen or heard."
Evelyn smiles and wraps her arm around Josephine's shoulder. "That was the most exciting thing you had ever seen? Even more exciting than the time I brought that dragon skull back to the castle? Even more exciting than what happened at Halamshiral?"
Josephine scoffs and gently slaps the Inquisitor's free hand. As she places her hand back on Evelyn's stomach she elaborates. "You know what I mean. No one has ever done anything like that for me. I felt that my life was more like Varric's books than just the simple life of an Antivan ambassador. A duel for my hand." The Antivan noblewoman sighs as she nuzzles further into the Free Marcher's shoulder. "It was amazing."
Evelyn chuckles as she rests her hand on Josephine's. Twining their fingers together, she pulls the shorter woman closer to her. "I am just pleased to hear that you are no longer cross with me."
"I was just worried that you would be injured. I know it is a silly thing for me to worry about, but it is true! I think it hurt worse to think that you could possibly be injured because of me instead of some random bandit, Darkspawn, Templar or demon."
"You could never hurt me, Josephine." Evelyn stares into the Ambassador's dark eyes and smiles. The warmth of the gesture causes the Antivan to blush slightly. She closes her eyes when she senses Evelyn lower her face closer to hers and her breath catches when she feels the Inquisitor's lips ghost across hers.
"Evelyn," Josephine whispers against her lover's lips.
"Yes, my love?" Evelyn answers as she pulls away from the Ambassador. She stops short, however, when she feels the Antivan grip her shirt tightly.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Josephine," the Free Marcher replies with a smile as she leans back down to capture the Antivan's lips in a passionate kiss. A low groan escapes her mouth when she feels Josephine lean further back onto the sofa. Following the Ambassador's descent, Trevelyan finds herself laying on top of the noblewoman. She pulls her head back again to stare at the beautiful woman underneath her. "Are you sure about this?" she asks when she notices her hand had loosened the sash around the other woman's waist.
Josephine's smiles as she cups the Inquisitor's face with her hands. "I have never been more sure of anything in my life, my darling."
Evelyn smiles when she feels the lithe woman underneath her pull her face closer. Slowly licking her lips, she leans down and kisses the Antivan reverently. The kiss soon grows in fervor when Josephine wraps her arms around the Inquisitor's neck and slowly licks Evelyn's bottom lip. The Free Marcher gasps at the Antivan's boldness, but soon recovers enough to open her mouth and intercept Josephine's assault.
Josephine moans when she feels Evelyn's tongue massage her own and feels her own body betray its long held resistance to the Inquisitor's charm. Her hips buck slightly when she feels Evelyn's body settle between her legs causing the full weight of the Inquisitor to bear down upon her.
How could I have denied myself this for so long? Josephine thinks to herself as she stretches her neck to allow Evelyn's lips access. I should have never thought to wait until this was all over. I do not think I could last another day without... A gasp escapes her throat, causing her mind to forget her inner monologue, when she feels a cold breeze ghost across her chest. She glances down at her bare breasts, momentarily stunned that she could not remember when her blouse had been taken off. Josephine reaches her hands up to Evelyn's still-clothed chest and fumbles at the buttons, impatient to reveal any part of the Inquisitor's body.
The Antivan giggles in surprise when she feels two strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her up from her previous position. She stares mirthfully at Evelyn once she is seated in the Inquisitor's lap. When Josephine notices the seriousness in Trevelyan's eyes, she bites her lower lips. "What's wrong?"
Evelyn shakes her head and smiles up at the Antivan. "Nothing," she simply replies as she starts to massage Josephine's back. A sigh escapes her throat when she realises that she could not hold back anything from the woman who had stolen her heart. "I guess I am still in a state of shock."
"Why are you shocked?" Josephine asks as she kneads the stiff muscles of the Free Marcher's shoulders.
"I never expected this to happen," Evelyn says, gesturing between herself and the woman seated in her lap. "When I first met you, I knew you were special, but did not think I would ever have a chance with you. But now... here we are, in my personal chambers and you are barely dressed."
Josephine smiles as she reaches for Evelyn's hands and places them back around her waist. "I never expected it to happen either, but I am very thankful it did." She lowers her hands and starts toying with the buttons of Evelyn's shirt again when another thought hit her. "Why did you think that you would never have a chance with me?"
The Inquisitor blushes furiously and starts to rub her hands up and down the Ambassador's sides. "Well, look at you! You are intelligent, charming, and extremely beautiful. Plus... just the fact that you are the first born child of the Montilyet family and I am fourth in my line..." Trevelyan huffs in frustration. "Am I even making any sense? This is one of the many reasons I can never hold a decent conversation with anyone... If I am joking around, it is so much easier."
Josephine blushes at the Inquisitor's words. "Thank you for saying such things, but I do not think who is first in line or fourth in line really matters, do you?"
"It would if none of this ever happened!" Evelyn exclaims. "Just think, if the incident at the Conclave never occurred."
The Ambassador bites her lower lip. "I never thought of it that way. Honestly, I do not wish to think about it that way."
"Believe me," Evelyn states with a sigh as she wraps her arms around Josephine's waist and pulls her against herself tightly. "I do not wish to think of it either, but it keeps settling in the forefront of my mind. I think about it daily and it was the only thing I could think of when I was travelling to Val Royeaux. When you first told me about your betrothal to Adorno, I was furious. I felt betrayed... it was as if our relationship was a dream that someone had forced me to leave." The Inquisitor trails off and stares past the Antivan at the flames licking the logs in the hearth.
Josephine sighs and raises her hand to Evelyn's chin. Lifting the Free Marcher's face to look her in the eye, the Antivan smiles softly. "It wasn't a dream, my love. As you can see, I am right here and I will never leave you. No matter what happens now, I am with you until the end."
"I would not have it any other way," Evelyn states with a smile.
Leliana leans against the wall beside the door to Lady Trevelyan's personal quarters and smiles to herself when she hears the faint gasps and moans from her Antivan friend. Shaking her head, the Bardmaster slowly slinks away from the door so as not to disturb the women inside, though she knows neither of them could hear her. The Orlesian traverses the darkened corridors in silence until she reaches the rookery. Once inside the tower, Leliana hums softly as she sets about getting ready for bed. I knew they just needed a little push in the right direction, she thinks to herself as she settles down on the small cot in the corner of the room. As she reaches to blow out the candle sitting on the tiny table, she lets out a small chuckle. Now I definitely have something to blackmail Josephine with whenever she decides to send a delegate to me with questions about Neria.
The two women lay in bed, the sheets had tangled around their waists from the exertion of their previous exploits. Evelyn smiles when she feels Josephine press her back further into her front. "I did not realise you were still awake, Josephine," the Inquisitor states softly as she runs her hand through the Antivan's long jet black hair.
Tonight was the first time she had ever seen the Ambassador's hair down. It had nearly taken her breath away when she saw the golden skin woman remove the pins from her hair and allow it to cascade down her back. It was long, luxurious... and just so many other words that Evelyn could not form at that particular moment. All throughout the night, the Free Marcher could not at least one hand off of the Antivan's flowing mane.
"Mmm," Josephine hums as she rolls over to face the woman behind her. "How could I fall asleep when I know you are right behind me?"
Evelyn grins though she knows her lover can not see it in the darkness. "I thought it would have been quite easy for you to fall asleep... especially after everything we did earlier."
"Then... shouldn't you be asleep as well?" Josephine counters as she cups the Inquisitor's cheek with her hand.
"How could I fall asleep with such a beautiful woman in my bed? Especially if the beautiful woman is naked?"
The Ambassador feels her cheeks grow warm with blush as she remembers how under dressed she is at the moment. The night had been the best night of her entire life and she knew that she would not ever want to change it for anything else in all of Thedas. She leans forward and presses her lips to Evelyn's. A small smile spreads across her mouth when she feels the Inquisitor's heart beat faster at the simple caress of their lips.
When the need for air became to great, the couple separate with a sigh. Evelyn rolls over onto her back and huffs as she stares up at the ceiling. "I wish morning would never come," she says finally after a few seconds of silence.
"Why is that, my darling?" Josephine asks as she props herself up on her elbow and pulls the cover up over her breasts.
"I leave for the Western Approach today," the Free Marcher begins as she continues to stare at the ceiling. The room had gradually became lighter as the two women had started to speak, and the Inquisitor could start to make out certain object in the ever brightening morning. "I don't want to go," she states as she suddenly grasps the sheet underneath her. She tightens her grip when she realises that she would be away from Josephine for more than a week. "I don't want to leave you alone. What if Corypheus decides to attack while I am away?"
Josephine gasps at the strong emotions radiating off of her lover. She quickly lets go of the blanket and rests her head on Evelyn's chest. The Antivan runs her hand across the flat, muscular plain of the Inquisitor's stomach. "Everything will be allright, my love. Nothing will happen, I promise," the Ambassador soothes as she nestles herself closer to Evelyn's side and sighs. "This mission with Hawke and Warden Loghain will be over soon and then you will come back to the castle." She smiles when another thought crosses her mind. "I promise that when you come back, I will have the best welcome home party ready for you."
"Nothing too fancy, I hope," Evelyn replies as she kisses the top of the Antivan's head.
"Nothing fancy, I assure you," Josephine answers as she kisses the Free Marcher's cheek. "Just you, me, and your lovely bedchamber, I promise."
"Then how can I refuse such a party?" the Inquisitor quips as she rolls over on top of the other woman.
"You can't."
"Then I promise to make it back to you safely, my love. In the mean time, I shall reflect on these moments we share now. They will be enough until I am back in your arms. Promise you will keep me here while I am away," Evelyn says reverently as she leans down to kiss the ambassador above her heart.
"I always keep you in my heart, Evelyn," Josephine replies as a lone tear falls from her eyes. "And I always will."