It's been a minute, but here's the newest chapter! Our heroes have a brief reprieve from all the fighting to celebrate and fight in new, more fun ways.

The world became noise and fire in an instant. The battle was still raging around her. Ash scowled and raised her hand to the sky. The portal cracked close. Green lightning coursed from it and to the demons around it, snuffing them from existence.

The soldiers were bewildered at first. Wardens who had been under Corypheus's control fell to their knees, disoriented by their sudden autonomy.

Theolan and Dorian were a few yards from her, both looking at her with surprise. Theo was holding up a scroll and an amulet, while Dorian was tracing runes into the ground around where the portal had been.

"Did you do that?" Dorian asked the other mage.

"No. Did you?"

Theo's eyes dropped to the bloody scratches on Ash's neck. He moved quickly to her side and touched the red, throbbing wound. She winced.

"I'm alright, brother," she began. He clicked his tongue at her and flattened his palm on her wound. She felt it tingle as it healed. Then he grabbed her other shoulder roughly and pulled her against him.

"I thought you were dead."

"Bother you, did it?" her voice was muffled by his robe.

"Just remember," he leaned back and scowled down at her, "if you die, I will find a way to haunt you in the afterlife."

She pushed him off playfully as a Warden approached her.

The battle was over, but chaos remained in its wake. The Warden mages were free from Corypheus' control and had awoken to a world without a leader. Ash couldn't hide her anger. She stood before the army and informed them of Stroud's sacrifice. The one Warden who stood against Corypheus, who they had condemned, had still given everything to make up for their mistakes.

A part of her wanted to send them away, to banish them as punishment for everything they had done. She might have, but for Stroud and Blackwall. They wanted to save the Wardens. Maybe she still could. And the Inquisition could still use all the help it could get.

So she announced they would remain and aid their cause. She knew the choice didn't sit well with all her companions, and that maybe she would regret it if they fell prey to the Venatori yet again.

I owe this chance to Stroud. May they use it well.

"Blackwall." He turned his grateful gaze to Ash. "Will you ride with them toward Weisshaupt, at least long enough to ensure some order is restored?"

"My Lady, I'm not sure I…" he was surprised at the request. He hesitated only a moment, then straightened his back. "Of course. It would be an honor."

She nodded curtly.

"Good. There is none better now than you," she started walking to where Cassandra stood waiting with the sort of expression she wore when she was impatiently waiting to deliver reports. "And when you return… we shall talk."

He stared at her, unreadable, then gave a quick nod. His moustache lifted in a brief smile.

"Until then."

The Inquisition made its way back to Skyhold on a mostly victorious note. Ash was pensive after the encounter in the Fade. She hadn't expected to lose Stroud. But she should have known. When there is a sacrifice to be made, Wardens never seem to shirk.

She hadn't expected what it would do to her feelings for Blackwall. They were more raw than ever before. She knew she might lose him, might lose anyone at any moment. Still, a part of her had always thought there was some hope for a kind of future.

But he was a Warden. At the start of each battle, he still had the taint in his blood. One day, it would take him. That had not truly hit home until now.

So she had sent him with the Wardens for a few days. She needed to gather her thoughts.

Blackwall returned with a contingent of soldiers a short time after the bulk of the army made it back to Skyhold. Ash had intended to greet him, invite him to her quarters, finally talk, but he beat her to it with a missive inviting her to the tavern. The whole group was gathering there now that they were all together, to celebrate Adamant and prepare for the next step.

Ash was dressed casually as she made her way to the tavern. Her auburn hair was down around her shoulders. She wasn't wearing armor today. She wanted to feel unfettered for this.

She looked around the full tavern. Her companions and Hawke sat near the stairs, listening to the bard and laughing in conversation. Ash raised an eyebrow at the sight of Theo sitting with Dorian, laughing at the dour expression on Cassandra nearby. She'd noticed he seemed to be spending more time around the human warrior and mage.

"Ash," the broad form of Blackwall appeared at the floor above. "Up here."

She couldn't stop the smile at the sight of him. His hair was smoothed back and slightly curled at the ends. His beard looked newly trimmed and combed. They were both dressing up for this meeting.

She climbed quickly to the second floor and took the hand he offered her.

"I have a table back here. Not the most intimate setting, but I know you like a little bit of a crowd," he led her to a table tucked in the corner overlooking the main area. A meal and a glass awaited them each, ringed by candlelight. He held out the chair opposite his.

"I'd meet you anywhere, crowd or no," she smiled as he sat across from her. "It's good to see you."

She enjoyed the faint blush that darkened his face.

"You deserve far better," he reached into the folds of his doublet and pulled something out that gleamed in the candlelight. "I saw this… on the way back to Skyhold. It's just a small thing, but I wanted to give you something. A token of these days."

She turned the gift over in her hand and sighed. A necklace of silver with a delicate halla figurine. She had never been very inclined toward jewelry, but the simple gesture endeared the item to her. Ash lifted it and clasped it behind her neck.

"You're full of surprises tonight," she reached across the table and took his hand.

He looked down at her hand in his.

"I had time to think on the road back," he said.

"As did I," she squeezed his fingers. "Blackwall… Adamant Fortress was difficult. For both of us. I didn't know what to say to you, not after what happened in the Fade."

His brow furrowed.

"Aye, it was hard for us. You did what you had to do, my lady. I understand that."

"I… don't know about that. Stroud didn't deserve that fate," she shook her head. "It was my call. I'm responsible. And I haven't been okay with that."

"What? You can't believe that. Look at me," Blackwall demanded. She sighed and raised her eyes. His face was full of somber affection. "Stroud knew what he was doing. He died saving all of us. You can't feel bad about that. You can't feel bad about the gift he's given us, and the gift he gave the world allowing you to come back to continue saving it."

"I see what you're trying to do," she smirked ruefully. "And I'll let you. Because you're right about one thing. He saved us. So I'll remember that."

Blackwall raised her fingers to his mouth and kissed them gently. A few moments of silence passed between them.

Ash nodded firmly to herself, lifted her glass to Blackwall, and took a drink.

"Alright," she said in a new, bright tone. "We've done it. The Wardens are no longer under Corypheus's influence. The Winter Palace ball awaits us. Do you know what that means?"

Blackwall shifted nervously in his seat.

"It means I… will likely be forced to dance."

She laughed.

"I suppose that is true. And it means you owe me an explanation." Ash held out her glass to Blackwall. She nodded at his own tankard. He took the cue, picked it up and clinked it to hers. "More or less."

He forced a laugh and took a drink.

"I'm not sure where to begin," he drew his hands back into his lap, partly to hide that they were growing increasingly clammy with his nervousness.

"Start at… why you joined the Wardens," Ash offered.

Blackwall considered.

"I… hadn't even intended to join them. I hadn't intended to do anything with myself. I was nothing then," he didn't know what to do but start talking. His nerves vibrated, unsure of where rambling would take him. "I was lost. Another Warden happened to find me. Offered me a way to be more than I was."

He stopped. There were so many details he was skipping. He opened his mouth to cut through it all with one horrible truth, paused, reconsidered.

"Why did you take the offer, if you thought so little of yourself?" she guided him. It felt like cheating, but he clung to the feeling of appeasing her, of continuing to inspire the look in her eyes as she gazed at him across the table.

"I'd made too many mistakes to know how to make up for them," he looked down at the hands folded in front of him. "It felt right. To trade my life for that of a Warden." The words stung in his throat. Trade, indeed.

"And now you truly belong to them," she sighed. He looked up. Her expression was marred with regret.

"I do," he nodded.

"I've learned more of the order. Of your limited time. Of eventually going to the Deep Roads."

She pulled her hand back from him and clenched her fists in her lap.

"You've given up so much. You've tried to give this up as well, whatever this is between us," she stood up. "And Maker help me, all it does is pull me to you."

Blackwall's heart beat faster as she moved around the table slowly. Her eyes were narrowed on him, a calm before the storm.

"All I think of when I think of you, is what an opportunity I have. Here is a man who is devoted to a cause, like no man I've ever known. But I know you want… more. From me. And I want to give it to you."

His tongue couldn't form words as she straddled the bench next to him and slid close to him. Her hands rested on his thighs as she leaned forward till her mouth brushed his cheek.

"Maker help me, I don't want to know what you've done. Not anymore," she reached behind his neck and pulled his face close to hers. "This is real enough. The two of us."

"Ash, you know that's not…"

She stopped him with a kiss. Her arms moved around his neck and she settled against him. He started to lift his hands, hesitated, then pressed her closer to him. She sidled up into his lap and leaned back from their kiss. He cradled her hips in his hands as her hair fell like a curtain down around his face. People were probably looking at them.

"I've been pushing you for answers. But after Adamant… they don't seem important right now," she caressed his cheek and lightly twirled strands of his beard in her fingers. "The only answer that matters is… do you want to be with me, Blackwall?" She could feel the heat emanating from his body beneath her. His muscles were tensed and hard as rock. Her heart thudded faster as she imagined how only a few layers of clothing were all that separated their bodies.

"It's been a long time since I've wanted anything more," his voice was low, but she was close enough to hear over the din of activity around them.

"Then I want you to come with me to the ball. We'll do our duty, and at the end of the day, we'll celebrate together. And we won't talk about the past. Is that alright?"

"Yes," his voice was husky. She bit her lip as his fingers dug into her sides.

A flash of pale fire hair and green robes drew her eye to the stairs. Her breath hissed in an awkward gasp. She shoved back off Blackwall's lap and attempted a casual wave to her brother as he approached. Cassandra smirked beside him.

"I see we are interrupting," the human warrior said dryly. Blackwall coughed and shifted so awkwardly that Ash knew he was dealing with his own body logistics. She chuckled knowingly.

"I know you're not a fan of restraint, little sister, but do remember that you're the leader of the Inquisition. People might talk," Theo's eyes were daggers on Blackwall.

"I'm done with restraint," Ash eyeballed the increasingly crimson human beside her.

"Yes, despite all better judgement," Cassandra was having fun with this.

"Was there something you needed?" the Inquisitor changed the subject and leaned forward across the table with her chin propped on her hand.

"I've been trying to talk sense into your brother," the warrior shot the mage an annoyed glance. He smiled back. "He wants to join us on the excursion to the Winter Palace. I advised him this is a delicate matter. We have only secured a few invitations, and there is little room for negotiation. But… I assume he is not used to being told 'no.'"

"Oh, he's used to it. He's just stubborn."

"So it runs in the family?"

"I see no reason why I can't go," Theo shrugged and sat down across from the pair. His tone was light, but he kept a steady gaze on Blackwall, who seemed very engrossed in prodding his dinner.

"I've explained this. Many times. We have limited invitations," Cassandra had an edge of annoyance that Ash suspected was directed more at the aristocratic world. "And we cannot afford to risk our reception there by demanding more. We are not all nobles."

"Then I'll go as a servant," he took a sip of his sister's drink. "No one will notice me."

"I hardly believe that," she snorted. Theo raised an eyebrow at her and smiled.

"Do you really find me that distracting?"

The human warrior sputtered.

"That doesn't seem unreasonable," Ash interrupted. "And you can keep an eye on him, if you're that concerned about his presence."

"Oh, can I? How generous."

"I promise to be manageable," Theo said innocently.

A loud bang of the tavern door swinging open drew all four of their gazes. They stood and moved to the balcony as raised voices drifted up to them.

Scout Harding was talking rapidly to Varric and Hawke.

"…knocked out one of the guards. I think he's on his way here."

"Shit. I warned you, Hawke," the dwarf shook his head and stood from the table. Hawke had an uncharacteristically nervous expression.

"Maybe it's a misunderstanding. Seems rather fast for him to have tracked me down already," the human rogue took a nervous swig of her drink.

The door slammed open again, cracking against the wall with a force that drew an angry reproof from the barkeep. A slender figure stepped through, backlit by the world outside. A massive sword was strapped to the stranger's back. The hairs rose on Ash's neck. Blackwall and Cassandra stepped to either side of her.

"HAWKE!"

All the remaining color drained from Hawke's face. She looked up, along with every other person in the tavern, toward the owner of the booming growl.

It belonged to a white-haired elf with tanned skin and light eyes, eyes that almost left a fire in their wake as they scanned the room. He had an unusual tattoo visible on his face and hands, white lines that vaguely outlined his skeleton and disappeared under the gauntlets and breastpiece of his armor. The tattoo seemed to pulse brightly when his eyes locked on the Champion.

He growled unintelligibly and strode toward her. The tavern crowd parted like fish before a shark.

Blackwall and Cassandra both advanced toward the stairs with their hands on their swords. This was looking more and more likely to get ugly.

Everyone, Varric included, was backing away from the Champion.

Hawke sprang from her seat, fell into a half-crouch, and held out both hands in front of her.

"Fenris! So unexpected to see you," she laughed nervously. The elf didn't slow. "I had meant to write, it's just that, uh…" she glanced around the room, looking for an exit, and swallowed hard. "I, uh… I'm pregnant!"

The furious elf stopped dead in his tracks. His face went from feral to puppy in seconds.

"You are?" His voice was awed and markedly quieter. Hawke grimaced.

"Well… actually, no. Sorry." Varric guffawed from somewhere behind her. Fenris' face flushed darker. "I just wanted us to both take a moment, so everyone doesn't think you're some mad bandit, and, uh…"

The elf's hands were balled into white-knuckled fists. Hawke stood like a frozen deer, her mouth open mid-sentence, let a beat of silence pass, then spun on her heel and bolted at full speed up the stairs of the tavern. Fenris' eyes flew wide in disbelief.

"Damn it, Hawke!" he growled and burst into furious pursuit.

Blackwall and Cassandra exchanged glances as Hawke ran past. It was clearer this was no stranger, and they hesitated just long enough that Fenris barreled past them.

Ash was already headed out the front of the tavern with Varric, scanning the battlements for the duo to appear.

"So this is the Fenris you mentioned. Is he going to be a problem?" the Inquisitor frowned as a chorus of surprised cries erupted from above. Hawke appeared shortly after from the tower above the tavern, sprinting toward Cullen's office.

"Actually, not with Hawke around," the dwarf shrugged. The elf snorted in disbelief as she watched Hawke burst out the other side of Cullen's office at the top of another flight of stairs.

She leapt down the full flight of stairs, then to the ground, rolling into a tumble and startling a nearby soldier. Groups of people were gathering to watch. The heavy door of Cullen's office flew outward with an angry crash as Fenris barreled forth. Ash watched with growing unease as the pair ran toward the main hall of Skyhold.

"Varric…"

"Yeah, okay. Maybe you should tackle one of them."

Fenris stomped into the main hall, chest heaving in deep breaths. He scanned the alarmed crowd before him, but saw no sign of Hawke.

"I'll find you if I have to tear this place apart!" he roared, causing a gaggle of nearby Orlesians to jump and squeal.

"Please don't," Josephine interjected. "And who are you?"

"She went that way," Sera jerked a thumb toward the door at the back of the hall that led to the Inquisitor's private quarters. Fenris took off without another word.

"Are we under attack?" a noble whispered to another.

"Do you know that man, Sera?" Josephine had a hand to her chest as she watched the elf tear open the door and charge inside.

"No," Sera shrugged. "Looks angry, though."

Fenris saw the door still swinging ajar at the back of the hall and pushed past it into a darkened corridor leading upward. He saw Hawke's form disappear through another door at the top of the stairs.

"Damnit, Hawke! Stop running," he growled and followed into an immense chamber. Tall windows lined the walls opposite him. This was someone's bedchamber, he realized. He ascended the short flight of steps into the room and scowled around him. "Do you know what it was like, to not know where you'd gone? I woke up without you, with no warning. All I found was a note. It felt… like goodbye."

Fenris fought to keep his tone angry. It was better than the alternative.

There was a flash of movement from behind. He growled. Of course. He started to turn, then grunted as Hawke tackled him. They fell to the ground with her atop him, struggling to pin his arms over his head. He bucked up hard and knocked her sideways, rolling to gain the upper hand. They struggled for several minutes, until finally locking in a stalemate with Hawke's thighs cinched tightly on his middle and his hands trapping her wrists over her head.

Both breathed heavily as they caught their breath. He glowered down into her flushed face.

"Hey… look," she said between breaths. "You win. I concede."

"Explain it to me," he growled deeply, "Explain why you left with hardly a word."

"Fenris…" she pulled against his hold on her. She wanted to touch his face and show him the tenderness she always felt around the dour elf, but he didn't let go. She sighed. "I didn't want you coming with me. I wanted to help Varric, but I knew if you found out, you'd join. I was done with us risking our lives."

He closed his eyes and inhaled a steadying breath. When he opened them again, his gaze was cold.

"But you weren't done risking yours," he said in a slow, firm tone. "And you decided this for both of us."

"I… know that's unfair," she conceded.

"Do you know," he continued, "that when I did finally find your trail, it lead me to Adamant? I heard stories on the way. Of a demon army that was laying waste to everyone rising against them."

A cold chill rose the hairs across her arms and neck. She had only heard his voice shake like this a few times before. It rattled her to see Fenris this upset.

"There was half a day… I'd finally made it to an inn a short ways from Adamant. I had heard a story that you'd fallen from the castle walls. Then that you had disappeared into the Fade. No one knew if you would ever return. Just pieces of rumors, drifting in with each traveler," he finally released her arms and sat back. He turned his head fiercely so his pale hair fell and obscured his face. "I knew each piece was well after the fact. I knew that whatever happened, I was already too late. You decided that for me." He spat each word like they left a foul taste in his mouth.

She stared up at him. She chewed her lip so hard it almost started to bleed. Fenris began to push himself up. Hawke's hands shot out and grabbed his wrists. She arched up toward him as his angry, misty eyes snapped to hers.

"You're right. I took that from you," she dug her fingernails into his flesh. "And there was a moment when I thought I wouldn't return to you. I knew… in that moment… that you would have taken that decision from me. You would never have listened to the Inquisitor, or let me die, even if it's what needed to happen."

"Oh, it might have been needed, would it?"

"Yes," she snapped. Hawke grabbed Fenris behind the neck. He moved to swat her away, but she sat up fast and pulled him close with her other arm. "You would have been angry. Angrier. You may never forgive me. But that's just too damn bad. Because where you're concerned, Fenris, I don't play fair."

She pressed her mouth to his and kissed him hard. His breath hissed inward in surprise and indignation. He didn't pull away. Her fingers on his neck scraped up through his hair. Her mouth moved down his jawline and below his ear, kissing firmly and hungrily. Hawke had missed the feel of him. She hadn't been apart from him for this long since the mage rebellion began. She closed her eyes as she felt him draw in a shuddering breath. His hands moved slowly across her back as he pressed her closer.

Hawke nuzzled against him when his mouth moved to the crevice between her shoulder and neck. She let out a sound of pent up longing and he growled in response.

"I've missed you," she whispered. She gasped as his fingers tightened painfully in her hair. He pulled her head backward and stared down into her face. His eyes were half-lidded, dark with desire, and still burning with frustration.

"Then you shouldn't leave me behind," his voice was low and husky. She laughed ruefully.

"You know I'm right."

"That I would die for you?" She gasped as he stood and pulled her with him. Her stomach flipped and air rushed past noisily as she was lifted from her feet and thrown backward onto the Inquisitor's plush bed. Fenris' hands were on her before she drew a second breath, roving down her breasts and stomach, to the hem of her tunic. "I would do that and more."

She held her arms high for him so he could pull the fabric over her head. She almost laughed at the startling cool rush of air on her bare skin. The muscular elf yanked his own clothing over his head and bent down over her. She laid gentle hands against his chest. He shivered as the lyrium tattoos brightened at her touch.

"If you think about it, this is really your fault," she pulled him down for a long kiss. His skin was hot against hers. She murmured against his lips as he trailed hungry fingers down her torso. "I've never loved someone like I love you. I can only assume it's your doing."

His temples pulsed as he clenched his jaw.

"Perhaps we should fight for who loves who more," he pressed his cheek to hers as his hands worked to pull down her leggings. She wiggled to aid him. She twirled her warm tongue along his neck.

"We can't seem to agree otherwise," her breath came faster. Hawke squeezed her thighs on his waist. A moan escaped her lips as he pressed his hardness against her, still trapped in his own clothes.

Neither noticed the brief moment Ashiril breached the stairs, took note of the struggle on her bed, and immediately headed back down. She bit her lip to stymy her smile as she emerged from the door to the inquisitive faces of Blackwall, Josephine, Cassandra, and Theo.

"I found them. All is well," she closed the heavy door and motioned toward the main hall.

"Is that so? It did not seem at all well," Cassandra was dubious.

"Oh, I'm quite sure," Ash shooed them again. "Come on. Don't we have plans to make for the ball, or something similar?" She cast a quick look at Josephine. "Would you mind sending a maid in a few hours?"