Revolution

by rikkustrife

This is from a roleplay a friend and I have written together. It's placed in the aftermath of Anders destruction of the Chantry in Kirkwall and Leliana comes across him, and they begin their adventure together which in turns brings them closer together. Chapter 5 is the first sexual themed chapter for those uncertain if they want to read that part or not.

41. Chapter 41

Anders had wanted to stay in the room with her, but Leliana was moving around him and preceding her final steps of leaving. Giving a slight pout, Anders couldn't really decide whether or not he wanted to have attempted with talking Leliana out of the dress or not. Though with her final given invitation, Anders had decided that maybe it would have been better just to get the 'prom' over with so that the after-party could begin. He sighed some, in the mild moment of defeat and held out a bent elbow out as an invitation for Leliana to accept.

The ball itself had been filled with mostly the poor and brave willing to have attended. Not many of rich citizens had wished to really see their leader face to face. It did leave Anders slightly disappointed in this but it wasn't as though he could twist every arm in every citizen of his land to attend something that they didn't believe in or of something that they feared. This was the healing process, and Anders needed to have accepted it or to continue without such.

The people there were each dressed in what they could afford, a few wore things from an outdated nobleman's attire and others had dawned themselves in silks and satins. There was no doubt that some of the fabric had a few holes or perhaps a rip, but they were hardly noticeable on most of the Arls and Arlessas who were there. One thing had been for certain; though, the ball was clearly no Orlesian extravaganza.

The musicians and staff members were at least trying their best to have made it the best that they good. The food and punch was decent, and over-all the people had presented themselves politely though all the while keeping a watchful eye among each other. After all, there had been a slight tension in determining who among them were mages and who were only commoners.

Anders had taken Leliana to her throne next to his and invited her to sit down. He followed in pursuit at the throne alongside hers. Though his hand did stretch out to hold hers in between that time and gave it a little squeeze for comfort.

"Everything's going to be fine, love." He spoke softly towards Leliana from across himself, though the words had seemed slightly more for his own nerves rather than her. "After the family's introductions, I will be attending a meeting. Then I will return a little later for cheese and shrimp."

Leliana had openly taken Anders arm for support when he had offered it to her. Just as he was nervous, so was she. But possibly for other reasons that for what he was by far. She was more worried for Anders and if everything would go as smoothly as planned. It wasn't hard to see his fear… But she had tried to reassure him without making a big fuss out of it by just being there, standing by his side.

Once they had entered the room Leliana had felt almost all eyes on them. She froze some from this feeling and dropped her eyes at such a sensation. After all she wasn't use to attention when it was given even if it was big, small, good, bad or indifferent amount. When she was led towards her seat through Leliana had quickly followed in stride with Anders as he led her there. Her back rested against the hard surface as she sat in a straightened position and sighed looking towards the people before them. The few that had looked her way she had given a warm smile in hopes it would lift the tension in the room.

Upon feeling Anders hand tighten against hers, she had shifted her cranium towards him and gave a slight look down towards their bound hands. She couldn't help but smile from his words as she eventually gave a response of a nod of her head. Again as before she could see the nervousness rising within him. She didn't want him to leave, but she understood there was more meaning to this Ball than just having fun. "Alright… Just don't get lost and take forever to return to me." She teased, eventually letting her hand slip from his so he could take his leave if he so desired.

Once Anders had left, Leliana had waited a few moments longer, playing with Baelfire to pass the time before she had eventually stood up from her seat. She adjusted the boy more so on her hip as she stepped down towards where to food for everyone to serve themselves was placed. Taking a plate for herself, Leliana began to pick and choose a variety of items for herself and Baelfire to eat ranging from fruits, crackers and chesses. Just the norm of stuff she knew Baelfire would eat since she did need to get him use to eating solids instead of relying on her for nourishment.

Instead of going back to her seat Leliana had instead set her plate at the edge of one of the tables where she wouldn't be standing and blocking in the way of others. There she pinched the smaller pieces of fruits allowing Baelfire to suck and nibble before pulling away so he wouldn't bite off to large of a piece that he couldn't swallow. While doing this her cranium had shifted to the sound which the music was coming from. A small smile crept on her lips as she slowly swayed her hips in the rhythm of what the music was playing. More so for the entertainment for Baelfire after he swallowed his piece of food as such sudden ways of movement brought joy and laughter to come from his lips.

Speaking with noblemen was boring and passing fake compliments to one another was enough to irritate Anders's nerves. He wanted to have gotten to the more important details; a few made specifically in forging his army. He would have attempted his few ties with Ferelden, but after his last recent endeavor Anders wasn't certain if it would have been in his best interest to address the King. He just wasn't the right person for the job. Leliana needed to have done that part.

Anders was happy to disappear into the group who were willing to discuss more important things. Though it was turning more into a shouting match the more that he continued to discuss of what terms needed attention. The few who did support him were mostly mages and those who resided in Lowtown and Darktown; two of cities that didn't have much coin at all.

Though while the bad-luck arguments had continued, a familiar mage wearing out-dated robes of the Ferelden Circle had approached the Viscount's wife and surprisingly in an opened manner. It almost had seemed that the ball was too relaxed, but this was also seeming to have become an initially marked turn-around for the land. After all, a relaxed and joyful party would have promised a sense of hope back to the people. Though thinking that far ahead, was hardly this mage's thoughts for the moment.

"Good evening, Your Excellency." Jowan had said with a low bow from his hip once he had stepped from the clearing and headed more towards Leliana at the moment. "May I, perhaps, interest you in a dance before the song ends?"

Leliana was a bit lost in her own world at the moment, feeling a bit confident and relaxed enough in the area to have shown her more carefree side as she had tended to Baelfire. She wasn't expecting anyone to approach her in this Ball let alone call her by such a title. She felt her body jerk a bit from unexpected fright shooting through her. At first the title didn't grasp her attention, it was actually the first time she was called such. As the word Excellency was put so high on a pedestal. But the voice, the voice is what mostly caught her attention.

As she turned, so did her attention with it as she dropped her gaze to the mage as a blank stare had been all her expression she held until that was replaced with a growing grin of realization of who stood before her. "Jowan?" She asked a bit curiously, as she even leaned in some to take a better glance to the man. It had been far too long since she had seen him. The last time she actually recalled seeing him was the time she had poisoned him, or more-so Aragorn that had since she took the blame for it. Thinking back on this brought her to feel horrible, but at least he didn't know of this only she did along with Justice.

After she was asked to dance she had smiled warmly at the thought, she was never one to turn down such an offer. After all she danced with Oghren! So dancing with Jowan would be a simple feat. She had nodded her head some, but before she had been led to the dance floor she pulled aside one of staff members in the open and there handing over Baelfire before quickly retreating back to Jowan. "I'll take you up on that dance now." She said cheerfully as she held out one of her hands to him awaiting for such a grasp to take her to the dance floor. After all she had to get use to the fact of men leading her to a dance instead of the other way around. "Though I'll warn you as I had to Anders the first time we had danced, 'I may step on your feet'."

"A small price to pay…" Jowan laughed as he met Leliana to the dance floor.

The music continued to play the gentle melody of flutes and stringed instruments. It was hardly anything like the Imperials' banquets but at the same time it wasn't nearly as loud and rambunctious as the taverns of Orzammar. The pace wasn't either fast-paced or really too slow either; it was just comfortable and swaying.

Jowan hadn't really spoken of anything at first; almost as if he was more focused with merely trying to keep Leliana entertained and attempting to keep in check of how she was dancing. This was done to make certain that he wouldn't trip her, or to have been tripped in the process. After a while, Jowan's eyes had finally lifted from scanning back around the room and smiled back to her once more.

"It's a little odd." He started to say. "I would have expected a bit more hostility… But I suppose enough time has passed by for everyone to settle with everything that's happened to this city."

He held up her hand delicately in a slight signal to have allowed her to spen before pulling her back towards himself at a respectable distance once more. "So, I'm dying to know. How does the feeling of being a Queen of a Mage-filled city is like? Have you gotten the ex-templars here polishing your brass and heels by now?"

Before Leliana had reached the dance floor, a part of her believed in her warning to him more than he possibly believed it. She wasn't certain if she could still dance, since it had been sometime since such subtle way of movements. She just had to hope that her mind and mostly her feet would remember her more graceful dance moves.

Her placement of her hands and arms were as like his. Giving them enough room between themselves to be courteous to the other, but also not to far to seem as if they were trying to be standoffish to one another. After all that would look just odd. When the silence between the grew Leliana had taken a moment to look between them, in a short process to accommodate herself with the pattern he had chosen for them to go with the dance. Upon looking up she smiled to his words of how calm it seemed. It was nice, even if it was slightly awkward since she knew many people probably were on their toes but we're being cival about the whole thing. "You're right." She replied with a tilt of her head. "It's wonderful though to have all the people join though, right?"

As his hand's rose, Leliana shifted her attention more to this than being responded to as she took the signal to spin. It was a quick motion but one that had brought her flowing dress and crimson tresses to sprawl out and rest flawlessly back down to her features as she met his front once more.

After she had glanced back to him she shook her head slightly as her lips had began to part. "Eh heh." Nothing but a chuckle came out at the mentioning of that title again as she shifted her bright emerald eyes in a little attempt to hide any upcoming blush that forced its way to her cheek bones in a fluster she attempted to plead with the man. "You know you can just call me Leliana... You've know me for far too long for all those silly titles... But if you want the juicy details, then it may cost you."

"A deal then, is it? Sounds interesting. I'll have to ask about on what terms, then." His eyebrows lifted a little in his interest of it.

After all, most mages did take an interest in deals. Through Jowan's harsh apostate life had pushed him to be of no exception. He turned slightly, leading Leliana's followed steps along with his own to turn in a different direction as well. Though when the song had ended, Jowan had stepped back and gave Leliana a proper bow that most gentlemen would. Straightening back up, he held his hand out in an offering for her to accompany him a little further.

"Though I'm afraid I will have to continue addressing you and your family by their proper titles. We want to make certain that the rest of Thedas respects as such." He suggested and nudged his head more towards the rest of the guests to the Ball when he spoke. "Even if I used to have known our new Viscount when he and I were much younger, but surely that's been too many years for him to remember."

"Well you must be my slave of course." She teased back with a light chuckle passing her lips. Leliana by far wasn't being serious, but it was an open window to take as a joke as he had given her such an opportunity.

As the many of dances had come to slow stop Leliana had glanced to where the music was playing as her eyes fell to one of the violent strumming their last string with their bow in hand. A smile faintly pulled to her lips as she looked back to Jowan and gave a little step back as well. In a polite manner due to his own Leliana had plucked the fabric of her dress between her fingertips and had given a little curtsied before straightening back up once more as well.

"Aren't you a polite one." She responded to him after he had fought her on the idea of calling her by her title instead of her name, which had just given her just the more fire to challenge him back until she had one this friendly feud. Though this was pushed aside if for now as she had been more drawn to Jowan and him speaking of a 'younger' Anders. She had almost seemed enthralled with the idea that she didn't even notice that she had grasped onto one of his hands excitedly with the both of her own. "I got a deal now... How about you tell me about Anders in his youth and I'll give you all the juicy details on ex-templars and such. Whatever you wish to know and I shall tell." She pleaded in almost a giddy nature. "I would ask Anders, but as you know hes always so busy."

He could only laugh slightly back with the previous joke pricked upon his ears. Though with the terms at last stated, Jowan's more darker curiosities remained eager in his delighted expression. Guiding Leliana towards the punch, he took his attention and time—for the moment—to pour two glasses. One was to be for himself and one for her. Afterwards, he turned back and handed her one of the cups in between reminiscing his times in the Circle.

"Let's see…" Jowan dwindled and brought his cup to his lips briefly for a sip before continuing. "If I remember correctly, back then the Circle still had its own separated groups, much like the Fraternities that the instructors within it have. There were classes for Conjuring, Entropy, Elements, and many others. Every student took an Elements class first to see what he or she was capable of in their first few years. That was where me, His Excellency, and another mage named Will had first met. Though, I really think Will was closer to him than I was."

"They were always trying to get each other in trouble; putting frogs in the instructor's desks and trying to steal the keys to the muffin pantry… Little things like that." He snickered some at the memories. "There was one time, Will was using a levitation spell to pull the under-alls down of an instructor and Anders rushed in to try pick-pocketing the keys while I took the part in my attempts of distracting her with questions about the previous assignments. Anders tripped within his fumble and they both fell to the ground. We ended up with kitchen duty, but we did manage to get the keys to the pantry."

Leliana followed slowly behind Jowan as he had led the way to the punch. Once there she glanced more to her side to check on Baelfire and seeing if the woman she had handed him off to was still okay with tending to him. The woman had just looked at Leliana with a smile and a wave of her hand as if to go ahead and have the 'grown-up' time she needed. It was a bit odd for Leliana but she had taken the woman's cue and gave a slight nod of her head in return. After all she didn't want Baelfire always relying on her for everything, though it would have been nice. He needed to know there were other people he could go to and feel safe with besides the circle of his parents.

After Jowan began speaking, Leliana turned her head more-so towards the mage and looked to the cup he began handing over to her. Reaching out she had wrapped her fingers around the base of the cup, drawing it closer to her side while listening to the story Jowan was kind enough to share. She didn't take a drink of her punch as she was a bit enthralled with hearing about Anders time in circle. Leliana was always a bit tempted to ask Anders about the circle, but knowing about his multiple attempts to escape she figured it wasn't one of the top subjects he was more willing to talk about as Jowan obviously was.

"What ever happened to this Will? Is he still in the Circle of Magi or did he manage to get out as well?" She asked a bit curiously as she shifted some to walk up to one of the empty seats, hoping Jowan would follow as she sat down to make herself more comfortable. "It sounds like Anders hasn't changed though. Always a jokester, wasn't he? Though I can't help to ask, was he always a flirt too? I bet you Will and Anders had always chased after the pretty lady's in the robes right? And don't try and deny it, I know you mages are pretty sneaky with keeping things hidden from the Templar eye… After all I had a bit of the same problem when I was in the Chantry having to sneak around. Even if I wasn't a sister they still didn't like it if you had any fun."

"I believe Will is still in the Circle, but don't quote me on it." Jowan answered and glanced back up towards the ceiling in thought of the man. "He never seemed to have as great of a passion for escaping as much as Anders did, and I only became concerned with it when situations became apparent that I needed to be."

He turned and followed Leliana to the chairs and found one that was empty enough and close to her. When she had started to question him of other particular natures of them, Jowan couldn't help but to laugh a little. For Jowan, it was easier to reminisce of the Circle. It wasn't as if he really hated the place, but he held no particular love for it either.

"I wasn't certain if you wanted to hear of that." He smiled and ran his left hand through his hair briefly while leaning back into his chair. "Yes… We did use to steel rods of fire to burn peep holes into the girls' dressing rooms, but those were more difficult than getting the keys to the muffin pantry. But Anders was always a bad boy. He probably had more kitchen duty for his attempted relations than either Will or I ever had. Truth be told, I have always been more shy and sensitive to really focus much on the beauties of the Circle, and Will was-…. Well, Will was a prude!"

Jowan took another sip of his wine and grinned more to Leliana afterwards. "But I will say this; most of the Viscount's sweet talk, he learned from me. I used to write all of that poetry he knows. I hope he hasn't tricked you with any of it yet."

"Of course I would have wanted to hear of that… After all that's the good and juicy isn't it?" She joked, though after she heard of what the boys had done Leliana was in a bit shock. She always knew Anders had a bad streak, but one to go as far as to burn holes in the wall. Well that was something a bit out of the norm, but then again she had to think. Apprentices in the Circle would have taken any chance they could since human desire would have been running wild like banshees in that tower. "I guess I'll have to check all my walls then. After all you never know when a man might miss his old ways to go about things."

When Jowan began explaining how his personality was when Leliana began examining the mage with a curious eye as she pressed the rim of the glass to her lips. She expected such from him, in actuality most mages she had met… Besides Anders were more shy… Or maybe that was because they didn't want to be found out if they were an apostate running from the Templars. Either way it was not too little of a shock to her to hear this.

"Anders and poetry huh?" She mused a bit at the thought. Call her old fashioned but she adored it when a man had read off scriptures of poetry to her. It was one of the few ways to win her heart over. "I can't say he has tried that on me… I bet one day when he irritates me so bad and wants forgiveness he'll pull that card out. Which will melt me on the spot. When we first met… It was on odd terms since we argued back and forth on me coming or going with him. With that amazingly along with him protecting me, his charm and personality, he won me over… So he probably saw no use in making me wither more… Or as I like to see it, maybe he was just lost in the moment as was I."

"The Viscount does seem more reserved these days than the way he was back in the Circle." Jowan pondered at the thought.

Ander had finished his duties finally, but even as he was stepping away from the rooms below. He looked towards the sight of Jowan speaking to Leliana amongst the crowd that was sitting around them. He probably would have approached them sooner if it weren't for the blood that was still draped across his knuckles at the moment. So, Anders had to turn away and walk towards far corner to hide.

He was watching Jowan and Leliana talk, at least until he head the door open and inside had stepped a man wearing the robes of Tevinter and carrying a large sad over his shoulder. The guards within the room were all jumping to their feet and crowding around the nobles and leaders of the court in order to have them protected. For they didn't know of what was within the bag; it could have been anything from a well mixed bomb or a weapon of some kind.

"I have traveled down the Imperial Highway in search of Anders of the Anderfells." The messenger claimed as he looked around the group of mages, city guards, and ex-templars alike—nearly astounded that the land had almost seemed unified despite of how small that it was.

Some of the guards had looked towards each other before a few had started to step backwards, leaving a wave of an opening towards Anders. The mage had glanced down towards the floor before taking the first few steps towards the clearing in front of him; since there was little he could have done. Anders certainly wasn't going to run or hide in such of a situation; despite as much as he felt the need of wanting to. The messenger looked almost as if he would have been a threat, but curiousity was pulling Anders forward.

Once he reached the clearing, he stopped at a respectable distance—which happened to have still been about a yard away, and started to address himself. "I am the one you seek… What's this about?"

The messenger looked back towards his back and then glanced back to Anders with a proud smirk before opening the bag. He had suddenly dumped its contents onto the floor, causing the tension to rise high within the room and a few of the women to scream. After lifting the bag, there was a revealed large horse head. It seemed the that wafting scent of rotten meat was a bit stronger once the bag had opened. Surely the man who had been carried it would have been relieved to have been rid of the contents by now.

This had, of course, gained Anders attention quickly. He looked at the horse head and then back at the man in the Tevinter robes. At first he couldn't say anything; he was struck with surprise and disgust. Pointing back down at the floor, he started to wince.

"I just had the floor mopped, you know." Anders called out, but his words were quickly drowned down by the Tevinter's next announcement.

"The Black Divine of the High Archon has declared war on Kirkwall. I have been asked to pass on a message of farewell to you from the High Priest." The man began as he started to roll up the knap sack he was carrying. "He regrets that you did not wish him goodbye, and that you have allowed Ser Ramenstein to fall to the Empress. However, if you were to pay a compensation and swear an oath to the High Archon, the High Priest would be more than happy revoke this declaration."

The bright smile Anders had at the moment was clearly a façade and he hung his head down for the moment as he started to walk towards the man. He couldn't believe of what he was hearing. Well, actually, he could. The Empress needed money for peace and the High Archon needed money war. Anders had felt that he was being stuck in the middle, and that Kirkwall would have been bled dry before his vision could have ever been truly accomplished.

He had to set an example somewhere and his mind on whose side that he wished to be on—was already chosen.

Anders abruptly grabbed the man and threw him down onto the ground. The surprise from the messenger was heard in a shrilled yelp as Anders relentlessly started to punch him in the face and in the chest. Of course seeing this the guards were not sure if their new Viscount really needed protection or if it would have been better to allow him to vent out his frustration.

"The High Archon! I do not want any of his goodbyes. And I have—No! Wish! To offer! Compensation!" Anders snarled in a tired fit of anger. His skin had cracked in its form of light pushing through, as Justice was slightly keen on making his appearance. With each passing punch he continued to speak; until the mage at last grabbed the messenger's collar and pinned him against the floor.

"Has he ever thought, maybe I never cared for his damned, sodding dragon god? I do not care if bloody Dumat, himself, asks after my health or snaps at my head! Let us stop this fiasco and have the damn war already!" Anders had snarled as the light from his skin had started to die down, and the guards began to pull him away. "Do you understand me?"

Leliana had paid little thought to that of the intruder that came in. Just like everyone else she was lost in chatting with someone they had found suitable to speak to pass the time with, whether that being a friend, acquaintance or partner. She had actually been in the middle of sipping on her third drink when she heard the call out of Anders name that it caused Leliana to perk up her head to this and glance to the voice that spoke of her love. At first she wasn't as suspicious as everyone else was, as for one Anders was off speaking to the other people of high authority. Or so she believed that she was almost tempted to give word of him not being in the room until he proved her otherwise.

Seeing Anders step up had brought Leliana to rush to her feet and watch intently as he had trailed up towards the stranger. It wasn't until the man before him had begun pulling the sack in front of him that Leliana had felt her fear and worry rile in her in a rush of emotions which she couldn't control even if she had wanted to. The staff member that Leliana had handed Baelfire over to had walked over to Leliana so the rouge could feel somewhat safer with her son near as the tension rose in the room with each passing moment.

After the head of the horse rolled out Leliana had to do a double take as she couldn't believe what she saw. She believed Tevinter's to do much larger threats if they were to serve one. But maybe this had some kind of symbol to it. Which she wasn't going to ask about as the stench had begun filling the room and this had brought the red-headed rouge to raise her arm up and use her hand as a blocking sensory so at least part of the smell would be blocked.

Thankfully for the woman holding Baelfire, after seeing this she had turned her back from the sight so Baelfire wouldn't see such a sight. Leliana would have asked for her to leave to the boy's room, but with this confrontation going on she doubted that was the best of ideas.

Looking back to Anders, Leliana had blinked a few times as the pace of things had happened so quickly that she had watched stunned like everyone else before raising a hand more towards her forehead in a soft coax to her dome. The mages words were filling her ears at that moment of the Dragon God. She was proud of Anders for standing his ground against the Tevinters, but she could only imagine how difficult and awkward that might have been for him. But from his actions it was seen he really didn't mind. She just hoped Justice didn't come out in his fit of rage, since then all hell would break lose for the man.

None of that Leliana had wanted and not just for the sake of the man but for everyone else around them, so once Anders had begun to be pulled back Leliana quickly had stepped up to Anders side as one of her hands pressed more to his chest while she began looking over him for any blemishes that he may had caused himself before looking towards his eyes. "Anders…" She whispered in hope to grasp his attention from the man and calm him. "There's no need for violence, especially with all these people here. Trust me I would like to wring his neck as well… As it's going to take weeks to get the stench and stains out of the entry rugs."

"Yes…The entry rugs…" Anders closed his eyes, attempting to calm himself down under Leliana's advice.

However, even the image of the blood and rotten meat being dragged on his floor hardly helped his anger to soothe any. He rushed back towards the messenger yet again and kicked him in the ribs in between the moment the guards had started to let him go. While the man had rolled over to his side, and the soldiers started to once again create a human wall between the beaten man and their Viscount, Anders had attempted at rolling back his shoulders and heading back towards Leliana.

"Dear Maker…" Jowan had mumbled under his breath from the scene and had almost dropped his glass.

Anders looked towards a few of the guards upon taking Leliana with him for the moment. "Someone get that rotten thing out of my city… and the horse head too… And whoever finds my crown, bring it to me. I can't seem to keep up with it."

He walked towards the stage that held the thrones and turned with Leliana back at his side. Anders eyes then glanced towards the city guardsmen; making certain that they were carrying out his orders before speaking to his newly gained subjects.

"People of Kirkwall, I know of the many questions that trouble you. Where our imports will be coming from, what our economy will bend to, and the most obvious above all else, are we considered a kingdom even though we have no king…" He announced and glanced downward.

"I stand before you, to announce that you don't need a king. At least not for regaining our imports... This does not mean I am resigning either. I am; more-rather… postponing any official coronations. In the meantime, what I can give you is a queen to answer to. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court, I present to you Queen Leliana."

Anders had turned to one angle towards his lover and bowed to her politely. Upon his movement of doing such, so had everyone else—aside from the city guards escorting out the previous mess—had begun to bow in front of her as well.

Leliana had curiously watched Anders, but she didn't in anyway stop herself from following behind him as he led her before the rest of the people of Kirkwall. She was never one to stand in front of large groups, and speak for that matter. So when Anders had done so on his end she felt more relieved than she could have described.

She was intrigued by what he had to say, that her attention was mostly directed to the mage more-so than the people around them. Truthfully she didn't know where he was going with this. But when his words continued to go on and on. She slowly became apparent to what he was saying that she had blinked a few times dumbfoundly and the news he had bestowed upon her so easily, that it had put her at a shock.

When her lips went to separate to speak towards him, she had stalled herself in knowing this wasn't such the time to scowl him. Even if she had wanted to with every fiber in her being. Then he bowed… Why did he have to bow? It just had made her feel more uncomfortable, but somehow it cracked her lips into a smile at how charming he was then.

"Kirkwall." She spoke to grasp the people's attention so that their once bowed posture would be relived. "I know we have seen many hardships, but we have come a long way to ever give up. We have to come together and build what we lost, not only for the sake of ourselves but for the future for our children. I promise you that Kirkwall will see brighter days, as long as we promise never to give up."

The citizens, city guard, and all within the building had soon raised their heads and applaud Leliana's speech. It was the words they needed to hear, and the reassurance that they had a direction that was moving forward. While in the background, and to the side, one of the guards had finally placed the Viscount's crown on Leliana's head. Once all had been finished with, Anders had stood back up and stepped closer towards Leliana. He smiled some at helping her to readjust the crown into the position that she had felt comfortable with. It was an added compromise to also leave it presentable.

"Fancy that… You look stunning with gold around you. We'll have to get more for you soon." He mused some and reached for her hand.

Guiding her back down the steps had been somewhat of the signal for the rest of the crowd to have relaxed again; although in some cases it was difficult after just recently seeing their supposed leader beating down a stranger within the halls. In fact it almost had taking the musicians a few minutes too long to continue playing again. This had to have been expected though, since it was an abrupt mess earlier.

Heading towards the punch bowl, Jowan had managed to cut him off from the sidelines. He took slight bow towards Anders and Leliana for the moment. Doing his best to have forced a pleasant smile, Jowan attempted to joke. "Well that was an enlightening event. I didn't know you had such an iron fist."

"I don't—Ah!" Anders pouted and started to wince some, looking back at his bloodied and bruised hand. He quickly covered it over with his opposite left to heal it in secret. His eyes closed momentarily after hearing Jowan's light chuckle, and sighed a bit from the relief that it wasn't a serious injury after all. "Thank you for reminding me of pain."

"Any time." Jowan teased back and glanced towards Leliana as he continued. "It's good that you've resurfaced, though. Leliana and I were just talking about you…. You know. Before the—uhm…"

"Yes, yes, I've noticed. You two did seem a bit cozy when I stepped into the room." Anders gave a jester in the small talk back once his hand had finished healing. He then looked towards the table to pick up a napkin and wipe away the growing stains his gloves were accumulating.

Jowan shrugged, glancing back towards the people that were around them and started to answer to him once more. "Well, we can't have just any man think they can steal her time now can we? Better me than a complete stranger, right?"

"I suppose." Anders retorted between a mild groan of the title.

Leliana wasn't expecting much of a feedback from the audience. As this was her first spoken speech to people who had actually looked to her and depended on her for the tinyest to biggest things. She just had to shift her cranium to the side in a small hide, as a slow fluster of her cheeks beamed to a rosy color. She was a bit lost in her own world that she didn't even hear the guard walking up behind her and reaching above her shorter stature than his tall one, placing the crown on her dome. Leliana felt her body but more her shoulders jerk back from such a touch as she looked back as curiosity filled her mind.

Everything was going a bit fast paced for her, that she didn't have much of the time before Anders approached her to do the own fixings of her crown before she had the chance to taken it upon herself. A slight smile pulled to her lips as she had looked up to the mage feeling a sense to have to hold back the chuckle when his words had reached her ear. "If I knew I was going to be wearing so much gold I would have picked out a different color dress so it wasn't so bland."

Even though her dress had been far from dull, it had accommodated the crown well with the perfectly placed shimmering stones fixated on her dress. But Leliana's little voice in her head was telling her otherwise. Her eyes shifted more down towards the steps Anders was leading her down as she finally pushed the last thought out of her head and gazed back up, seeing Jowan standing there before them. A smile, a forced one appeared on her lips as she saw him bow again. Eventually she would get used to it, but right now wasn't that time. "I know right? I still am shocked each time I see him use such force." She admitted towards Jowan as she shifted her attention more to Anders.

As Anders winched she had looked down to his hands seeing the previous blood whether it being either his or the other mans, Leliana had draped a hand over his forearm a coaxed the area lightly. "It just hit you?" She teased in a slight wonderment of his reaction. "Maybe next time we should let your guards doing the beating so you don't ruffle up any feathers next time and make a mess of your clothes?" It was an offer a slight one, that she had reached out towards his robes and tucked at the edges before smoothing out any imperfection.

"I'm glad you took your time actually for once." She admitted softly as she looked up to Anders. "I got to learn a lot about you and your more daring days when you were in the Circle. It came with some prodding on my part but I eventually pulled it out of him. After all he didn't want to give away all your dirty little secrets with you two being good buddy's." She concluded, dropping her hands from him as she stepped back a few paces before twirling on her heel and walking to the punch bowl to gather herself another drink as she couldn't recall where she had left the previous one.

Anders smirked some, after watching Leliana turn away and head towards the refreshments table. The slight glance he gave towards Jowan was quick, but initially enough to have grasped his attention. "So. What all have you been saying about me?"

"Nothing much." The bloodmage answered. "I spoke of the pranks we use to pull and how we got women."

"Guess I'll be in the doghouse now." Anders mumbled with his smile still plastered to his face and cleared his throat.

After such moving political events, Anders wasn't certain of how well Leliana was going to be. He figured that he needed to check on her, so he walked to a few paces ahead towards the punch bowl and poured himself a glass. Standing next to her, Anders had all but downed the remaining juice before actually returning his attention to her. It wasn't as though he was nervous—okay, perhaps a little nervous, but not by much…

"Don't believe everything that blabber-mouth Jowan's been saying about me. I'd bet almost anything the man's trying to regain favors just to get back into the Circle." Anders had given a light jest to mask over his initial fear to it. His hands reached up as he lightly started to touch her shoulders. "I was wondering… If I were to offer you a public dance with me now, would you grace me with a private dance later?"

Leliana hadn't heard much of Jowan's remarks of what he had told her earlier as the few people between them and their chatter had filled her ears making it rather impossible to hear such a conversation. Not that she would have wanted to snoop anyways. What Anders didn't know was she didn't mind what he had done in his younger days, after all what he had done was in the past. Everyone had done snarky things when they were younger. But not her of course, she was perfect and innocent. (joking)

With her emerald hues scanning the food in front of her, Leliana had weighed her options what to get. Eventually the rouge hesitantly reached out for a single plate, upon it was placed a slice of pie. She wasn't expecting Anders to approach her as quickly as he had, that Leliana had already started to turn around. Maybe it was reflexes on her nerves or emotions against him, whatever it was she had no control what had brought her to do what came next. Her hand arm forced its way to the center of Anders face, smashing the cream pie directly into him. When she had opened her eyes she had noticed the plate that was once on her hand had been slowly slipping from Anders face. Nothing had come from her, instead and hopefully before Anders had come back to reality she rushed past his side and into the crowds of people who already were slightly looking at the couple along with whispering unknown words to one another.

Leliana made a quick dash towards her and Anders room. Possibly not the best place either as she could be easily found here, but she wasn't thinking properly anyways. Closing the door behind her, Leliana had taken the crown placing it at one of the nearest tables she passed as she next kicked off her heels not even feeling the relief at first to her feet once approached the bed and sat at the edge. The adrenaline was rushing like a madhouse within her veins, that she hadn't known what to think or do but look at her trembling hands then her fingertips that she brought to her lips, sucking off the whip cream. After she had sucked on the last end of one of her digits she had looked up towards the knob of the door wondering of Anders reaction to his mess now.

Anders wasn't certain at what had just happened. Everything had went black for a moment, and the feeling of something sticky and cold was smeared across his face. The room had been so silent a person could have heard a pin drop on a glass surface. The crowd had held breaths with the sound of Leliana storming away. Anders raked his finger along his eyes to wipe away the cold cream. He looked around the room before tasting it and nodded with a broadened smile.

"It's good." He remarked out loud and then glanced at the crowd before shaking his head. He waved his gloved hands into the air and brushed past Jowan on his escape. "Well, carry on. Carry on…"

He walked down the hallway, knowing that the only place Leliana would have ran off to would have been their room. Of course she would; she was embarrassed and Anders knew he had put on the spot above everyone. It was his intention to do to it and for many reasons. So when he stopped at the door, while taking as much of the pie off from his face as he could, Anders was not surprised to have heard the sounds of someone inhabiting it.

"Leliana?" He questioned and tapped at the door before opening it. He remained at the doorway though; uncertain of what kind of temper or tantrum he would have been greeted with, but Anders did take the risk on being prepared for whatever was to appear. He looked at her with a mild state of concern, in between wiping away the food in the process.

"Oh, come on, love. Don't be like that." Anders started to pout. "We have a whole party in the main hall that's in your honor."

Leliana jumped some at the sound of Anders voice. Unintentionally she began to hold her breath as she had saw the door begin to be pushed open. From this brought her eyes to shift away from the knob as she placed her hands more behind her to help herself up. Hopefully before then she could have managed to turn her back to him so she wouldn't have to see his face. As she knew seeing what she had done to him, on top of what any look he tried to pull on her, she would mostly forgive him. And clearly she didn't want to give him the easy way out.

Upon closing her eyes, Leliana's slender arms crossed over her chest as his words had filled her ears. She couldn't help but flinch at what he said that she couldn't control her burning temper as she turned around towards him. Amazingly enough she hadn't shown too much of a angered expression on her face but from her actions it had shown otherwise how irritated she was with him. "Love, love, love." She chanted after him. "Don't try and sweet talk me mister. You're not allowed to speak to me after that stunt you pulled tonight… The only place you're allowed to speak to me is…" She started to explain with a point of her finger in his direction, but she had paused gritted her teeth, reaching for the door that she wrapped her hand around the doorknob and swung it back in his face. Hopefully he had moved before then though.

She didn't wait for a connection sound of the door clicking into it's latch instead she huffed immediately at her frustration and turned back around and walked further into the room as her arms had crossed back over her chest. "Darn you Anders." She muttered to herself as she glanced over her shoulder to the floor, but not looking towards the door as one would have. It had made her think on her previous actions, even though she rarely was angered by Anders, she still slowly felt bad about lashing out at him in realizing this she gently clenched harder around her chest, slowly feeling the breath being drawn out of her. She was never good at this fighting part in the relationship, which was always a good thing but made it so much harder to keep mad at someone when they truly needed to be kept there.

Anders had blinked some, still staring at the door as it had closed back in his face. He didn't expect this either. For the moment, it seemed like he was only able to retrace what he had possibly done wrong, and then to Leliana's obvious state of distress. She actually had seemed cute; even when angered—not like other scary women Anders had known before. Then again, even if she didn't know how to throw fire or ice, she still knew how to throw knives and poisoned flasks; which was still something to have been wary about. As long as she was disarmed though, Anders figured that he didn't have much to fear.

So, he turned the knob and stepped inside, looking towards her stiff posture. Leliana had been staring down at the floor for a while then; which had left an opportunity to approach. Anders closed the door behind him and then cautiously stepped towards her.

"What's troubling you? Is it the announcement I gave?" He questioned as innocent as he could, when he knew that mostly the reason could have been exactly just that.

Once he had come closer, he had placed the napkin in his pocket and then reached towards her shoulders to touch. He lightly traced small patterns onto her skin before moving them downward along her collarbone in carefully massaging patterns. As he had stepped closer, he tilted his lips more towards her ear so that she could hear even the softest of his tones.

"I did this for you, love. You must know that I desire you with all my heart." He promised and tilted back a few tresses of her red silken hair along her shoulder. "The steps we are taking now are the first few steps to true freedom: for two people such as us to love one another openly and without ridicule over status, nationality, or otherwise. I love you, and that should be all that matters to the world."

After she saw Anders feet make an approach Leliana had turned her head around and back to whatever she could fixate her mind upon. Since it seemed he wasn't going to give up easily on this conversation. Which after all this, she would have preferred at the end of it all. Since a man working to fix what was wrong was better to her than a man doing nothing at all and sitting on his hands. It made her love him all the more and made the fight against her instincts to turn around and just go to him that much harder.

Once his hand brushed across her shoulder Leliana had looked back from the corner of her socket, trying not to shift her head any. She felt her body loosening under his touch, her once stiffened arms slowly began to unwind and drop back to her sides, or more so one as the other arms as the other had wrapped around her torso. "You should know what's troubling me." She responded back, though her voice was at a low when she spoke since she did just mention seconds ago that she didn't want to speak to him.

Leliana had to bite on her lower lip in her own little way to stop herself from saying anything or doing anything further as she felt him come closer and closer in. Though it felt as her body was fighting her as she felt her shoulders sulk back into his chest as she began to close her eyes in a sigh by the touch he had given her. But after she had noticed her body doing this without consulting her brain she had stood back in her straightened posture and opened her eyes once more to reality.

"I know you did it for me…" She spoke back as she looked more towards her side again and to her pulled aside crimson hair. "But I'm not you, I can't just out of the blue start helping people like the people before us have, not to mention having people come to me with their problems. I would love to, but what if I do more harm than good?" She asked curiously as she almost looked back to the mage, but stopped herself half through her turn and instead looked down the fidgeting of her fingers along her dress. "Those are a lot of people out there. Relying on us to make Kirkwall a better place when what I want is just you and our family."

"Then if you care only for our son and me, you surely understand the importance of this. Besides, you won't be alone, and I only ask of you what you've always done." He said gently between lightly kissing along her shoulder, gently leaving a trail more towards her neck.

His hands slid down towards Leliana's sides, as he took a grasping hold of her hand into his. The mage traced his thumb across her bare fingers, taking the notice that she still hadn't been giving a ring of any sort. It was only a reminder to himself in the back of his mind. Cradling her frail hand, he lifted it up towards himself and soon turned his attention towards her fingers to kiss gently afterwards.

"And you can do this, I know. You're a stunning, loving, remarkable woman. The people will sing of your approach. The outlanders will turn to you with brimming confidence, and I will eventually have to compete the lands for your affections." He praised between little kisses and tilted her hand more against his cheek. All the while, his other hand had slid its way more around her waist to rub over Leliana's stomach. He tugged lightly and fabric, playing with the folds and wrinkles between his fingers. "But until then, I ask of you to be mine for this moment."

Leliana had chuckled lightly under his words as she had looked to him in a sense of a curiosity. She had liked the thought of the people of not just here but all over being fond of her. Who wouldn't? But what was more amusing was the thought of Anders trying to chase her down for her affection, since it seemed that's what she had been doing to him with how busy he was as of late. But if a time did come to where she was just as busy as he was with the people she would make it a priority that he, as well as Baelfire came first just like he had done for her and their son.

"You sure sound confident in that." She spoke as she had looked down between them and his rubbing of her fingers. It had made her notice just as him that a special piece to the puzzle was missing, something which he spoke of before leaving on business and her being almost killed by Marjolaine. But she wouldn't be one to poke and prod at him. "Though if a time comes when people are rushing to me in the hordes, there is only one person I would want affection from." She admitted, though she didn't say whom as her point was clear as water, as her finger of one of her free hands reached up between them and began drawing invisible drawings upon his chest.

"You know I'll always be yours and I'll always love you. Even after you frustrate me past a point I didn't even know I could go to." She admitted in a soft giggle as she looked to the mages cheek, seeing a smear of cream which he missed. "I'm sorry for making a mess of you and making a scene." She whispered towards him as she reached out towards his cheek and cupped her hand underneath his jawline while her fingers swiped away at the filling, where she had brought it to her lips and sucked on the end of her finger as she parted her lips and spoke in a slight mumble due to her finger still placed between her teeth. "Hopefully you can forgive me."

Anders's grin had grown some in finding that it was quick to win back her favor. He lowered his head to lightly kiss her forehead in a silent response at first. His arms tightened more around the waist of her dress and held Leliana close to him. "Oh, I don't know… There might be something I'll have you do for me before I can let this slide."

It was more of a tease, and he didn't give Leliana much room to response since he knelt quickly downward for a brief lift and picked her up in the process. He carried her towards the wall, where he could have had her pinned there. Pressing his right knee underneath and between the folds of Leliana's dress, he kept her to rest there. Kissing quickly along her jaw and leading more towards her neck, Anders was lifting his hands to unfasten the tedious strapping of her dress. He didn't want to tear it, but the same time he was growing a mild impatience for it preventing him of what he wanted.

After Anders had lifted her into his arms she was more willing to wrap her arms around his neck as he led her to where he saw fit. She wasn't expecting a hard surface though. That when her back brushed across the wall she had shifted some until her placement was a bit more comfortable.

Her hips shifted up as her legs wrapped around him best she could with the dress restricting her. By the time his lips pressed against her skin she had begun to tilt her head back some, at least as far as it would go with being a block behind her. "I would like to know how you always make things be forgiven so easily, I swear you're lucky." She breathed in a soft sigh.

Leliana's hands shifted down more towards the mages chest where her fingers had fumbled at his buttons which held his clothes together. She was doing this blindly too as her eyes were more shut than open due to the fact of how quickly Anders had moved to making his advances towards her. So she had to do something just to keep her rising breath down, so with closing her eyes gave her the concentration to calm her sense and nerves down. "Are you certain we shouldn't return to the Ball… Won't they be waiting for us?" She asked curiously, after all no one in a city or party liked to be left out wondering what happened to their most important guests.

Though she did sense his impatience, knowing this she didn't want her dress ruined and seeing as how he wouldn't let up she began to shift her shoulders some after a few buttons were undone to shimmy out of the dress at least part of the way. Her breasts were the first to be exposed to the brisk air that caused her nipples to stand out as she eventually shrived. Once her arms had slipped the rest of the way through the arm/shoulder holes of the dress she quickly went to wrapping her arms back around his shoulders and neck to find the warmth she was looking for as she leaned in pressing the brow of her head against his as she made no move to kiss him, but instead stared into his eyes. She didn't say anything as she had hoped her eyes had said all which needed to be said to him before she leaned in, shifting her head to one side as she meshed their lips into one delicate kiss. That had brought her to part her lips and venture her tongue past her pearly white prison.

"The guests are fine without us, love." He reassured quickly, though he didn't know this for a complete certainty.

His kisses were slow and tender, despite his rushed breathing. Anders was having a difficult time in lifting the robes above his thigh and then in a race towards pushing back the fabric of Leliana's dress. His arms struggled in between holding her still and removing her panties; of which he had to tug in a mild fit over her knee. He pulled his lips back from hers only briefly within the moment of removing at least one loop of her undergarments; leaving it to remain latched around freely towards her opposite knee instead.

Anders's eyes traveled back down towards Leliana's breasts, and there he traveled. He left kisses along the plump rising of her breasts, relishing in how the tight restrictions of the dress had teased with keeping her chastity from him. Taking one of her hardened nipples into his mouth, he caressed her soft skin with his tongue. Pressing the weight of his hips against her own, Anders could at last feel the warmth and frustration from her womanhood. He was rocking against her and with as much rushed passion as he had.

Leliana hadn't heard much of what Anders was saying though if she had to guess it was about her concern on behalf the guests outside these walls. Though her worries for them had quickly went out the window as the heat of the moment was overcoming and flooding her thoughts with her desires for him.

Her hands from behind his shoulders shifted more to the nape of his neck as her fingers entangled in his golden hair while her head and brow more shifted down to his shoulder trying to concentrate on her staggered breathing patterns. Though when this had seemed of no use, she tilted her head to the side as her lips pressed more towards the exposed area of his neck. While she tried to help where she could with giving Anders more room to slide off her underwear without falling or slipping further down.

Her other hand fondled at the last of his fastening by then until she had loosened the last one enough to slide her hand underneath his coat to push off the one of many layering's. She groaned some after looking down between them seeing as how there was what seemed like a multitude of clothing still in the way. But she couldn't think much of this as she felt the warmth of his lips meet her supple mound. It wasn't even seconds later with that came her gasp of breath, Leliana tried to cut her cries of pleasure in half by biting down on her lower lip, but this had only worked for so long.

"A-An-Ander?" She whined. "You really shouldn't do that, you'll make me go crazy." She admitted in a slight peak down towards him as she forced one of her hands from his shoulders and to his chest for her fingertips to clench into the remaining fabric that laid there, and the skin behind it. When he didn't stop there and she felt the rocking of his hips pushed more against hers she had to lean in a capture his lips with hers in a bit of a frenzy just to hold back all the madness he was causing her.

At last having his hardened cock free, Anders moaned slightly in between his mild victory and for the rush of having Leliana in this way. To him, it brought back memories of all sorts and in different forms. Her kisses had been like wine, and he drank in as much of her as he could before filling her partially with his hardness. Performing in this low manner would have kept from injuring Leliana, after all. So, it was a gentle rocking until the time when he could fill her completely.

His hands tightened and slid more around her waist as he was thrusting into her. Anders rested his head against her collar bone; breathing more harshly against her breasts. His force had been so great at pressing Leliana against the wall, that nearly through his motions alone had the movements of inertia kept the poor lady in one trapped position. When he lifted his head and claimed her lips briefly in another fiery kiss, he had finally reached his goal.

"Then go crazy…" He rasped upon lifting his kiss from hers. "Just tell me you love me when you do."

His wild thrusts bounced her breasts in a tease against the clothes that he wore, reminding him of it but not hardly complaining. Anders tilted his head more towards her ear and continued his desperate hold around her in many ways. Because if he didn't hold her tight enough, or made love to her wild enough, he knew for certain that she would have left him.

Leliana had shivered upon feeling the warmth of Anders hardness slide gently across her as what delicate whispers for pleas for more of him pushed past her lips and had brushed across his own. With what room she had been given she tried to shift her hips more properly for Anders entrance to be more of an ease for the both of them. That when such a movement was made and she felt his length filling her just slightly at first she had whimpered as her fingertips drove into the back of his scalp.

She couldn't stop the swaning of her neck at such enticement he was providing her accompanied by the sweet sounds that had escaped her though at given a chance she did try to bite onto her lower lip out of habit to muffle her sounds. Even though she couldn't control much what she could control was the placement of her hips as they had move more downward in a slow and patient slither while her lower back arched more so then Anders would have filled her completely. It was a sensation tempting to fight, since with each thrust brought her to almost buck back as she didn't want this to end so quickly. But she knew if he kept going at such a vigorous pace she wouldn't be able to hold up long. There was only way she knew how to slow this and that was guiding Anders in with the base of her calves in a slower tantalizing motion until their bodies had joined with the arch of her back making it so he reached the brim each time.

"I love you Anders." She spoke out in a soft tone as she fluttered her eyes open and looked to him. Her hand reached to his jawline, her fingers circling where his once facial hair had been before she had leaned in pressing her lips against his in a brief kiss as her lips traveled more to the side of his cheek. It wasn't until she was at his ear that she stopped, parting her lips releasing a few elongated breaths as she began a soft suckle at the lobe of his ear. In a smack of her lips she pulled away as she moved towards the curve of his neck sealing her soft bites and suction of her lips there.

Anders moaned to the feeling of Leliana's lips upon his skin. He was finding that his hips were moving more of their own accord. Despite the slow and gentle attempts that Leliana had tried to persuade him into giving, he was more content with listening to what his own body had wanted. Her kisses and gentle nibbles were preventing him from returning his lips in service to her. Though for the moment, none of that had mattered to him.

He relished in the feeling of her around and over him. Their bodies slickened with sweat and rushed from the heat of being together that driving his weight into her had never felt as right as it did at that moment. It had to have been something only the joy of freedom could have offered. How Anders took in sheer delight of the clenching grip that she had around him.

"Again. Say it again!" He nearly demanded in a slight grunt, while biting back any moans or cries to the Maker. The Maker didn't deserve them, since it was Leliana who brought him this much joy. His hands lowered more towards her ass and attempted to have kept her movements still.

Though once he had reached his moment of no return, his body had become still. He pressed himself against Leliana and felt his seed rushing forth at a quick pace. Driving into her gently and slower rhythms in between his climax, Anders pressed his head more against the wall across from him.

"Oh, Leliana… my love… Stay with me always." He whispered and pulled slightly back, only to turn towards her and kiss her lips with what remaining passion he had the strength of withholding. After all, she had deserved all that he could give.

She could already feel the trembling of her legs and how they had fought against her almost violently to let go and just give in to the last of her strength she was holding onto. Since his pace hadn't ceased, neither did her rising breath as she pressed her temple more to his cheek so there her moans and breathing could fill his ears and continue to drive him forward in the pace which he was going at. At first she may have wanted to go at things more slowly but the more he had showed her how sensual it was what he was doing the more she had wanted it.

After hearing his demands she couldn't deny him a smile that cracked from one of the many thrusts he had pushed. "I love you." She repeated in more of a breathed voice though her tone was different than before, holding more of genuine feeling to it as she wanted him to feel every word which she spoke to him, nothing could change the way she felt about him. "I always will." She finished as she turned her head some to press her lips more to his cheek leading to his nose as she had stopped there pressing her brow firmly against his own.

Leliana couldn't nor did she want to fight the warmth that had crashed over her at the exact time when Anders had spilled his seed within her. She sensed her inner walls surrounding him clench and hold in a twitch as her whole body almost went to a numb state. A part of her was afraid to move as the whimpers already spilling out of her lips from such pleasure she believed to be enough and she didn't want to cry out any louder and have someone abruptly walk in on them.

Once he spoke to her she had smiled through the shut of her eyes as she was trying to concentrate on her legs and how they were trembling worse than before. Which would have given Anders a good sign but still she had to compose herself partly. Though it seemed as if her body relaxed more the moment their lips met. Leliana's hands went from under his arms as she held herself closer to him before pulling away from the kiss.

"As long as you promise to stay with me always as well?" She asked a bit curiously. Just as Anders fear was of losing her so was it for her losing him. The world was a cruel place and she couldn't help but be worried, but at least she could reassure him the best she could. "Where else would I go?" She asked a bit in a sultry tone of voice as she slowly started to slide her legs down from him as she would have thought Anders to be worn out by now from holding her up. "I think I love you far too much to let you go." She teased in a little lean in towards him, to brush her nose against his own.

Anders returned her kisses with as much deep passion that was given to him. His arms had shifted more around Leliana for protection since he didn't want her falling. Carefully, he slid out from under her, but still took a quick moment to have refastened what he could have done of his trousers. Turning slightly, Anders started to carry her towards the bed.

He smiled in between her teasing and as he had lain her down on top of the covers, the mage crawled after her. He nestled more at her side and though, being lazy to have really fixed any of her clothing back on, Anders had instead reached out with his arms and legs to spoon himself against her form.

"You are my world, Leliana. You're the most important part of my life..." He sighed lovingly and smiled only a look from complete bliss could bring him. That's when he started to chuckle and lift his head so that he could view Leliana at another angle. "Well, you and Baelfire both. I'm still amazed that I have a son. I couldn't have had anything I've acquired without you, love. You're my everything."

His pearly white teeth had flashed in a grin before seconds later of rolling himself over her and placing another kiss to her lips. Anders was careful—as he was always—of not to have squished her by any means; but rather to have kept her comfortable underneath him.

"So… Did you care for the ol' Circle-Stand-Up?" He questioned almost in a tease while taking more of his attention towards gently lifting and smoothing back the tussle of Leliana's wild and red hair. "They say it's lot easier without all of the buttons and buckles to worry about; but I'm not sure if my current attire truly counts as a robe."

From Anders gathering her in his arms again a small utter of an unexpected sound slipped passed her lips as her arms wrapped behind his neck as he led her towards the bed. At first she didn't let go once he had laid her down as she had always liked the closeness of their bodies but as she felt the pulling of his form from her she had loosened her grip and instead cuddled more towards his chest once he had rested next to her. There her hand danced across his chest before looking more down to her own as she noticed her still exposed breasts. Instead of pulling up her dress, she had instead shimmed out of the thing and gently shoved it further down on the bed towards her feet.

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that." She admitted as she glanced up from her fit from the dress and had begun turning more to his side. "I admit it's always been my fear of losing you to someone or something. I know I'm one of the luckier ones that have found my true love, not many people get to say that. So I'm blessed to have found you that night." She admitted in a soft tone as her eyes held an adoration for her mage as she shifted up some to place a kiss on his jawline. "Who would have thought, a man who destroyed a chantry brought a woman from the Chantry fall head over heels for him… I bet it was your plan all along!" She joked in an acted gasp as her hand reached to her lips in a small giggle.

Even though Leliana's chuckle was cut short from Anders sudden roll on top of her she didn't stop smiling brightly, as her legs had spread out for him to be closer while hands reached up more towards his face as her palms pressed against his cheeks softly in his slow lower towards the greet to her lips.

"The Ol' Circle-Stand Up?" She repeated a bit questionably after him as she felt her head shifting to the side in a bright smile "I did like it and what it did bring out in you. It kinda felt like we were being sneaky." She added with a nod of her head as her hand dropped more to his lips and began tracing the outlining of the shape of them. "Here I thought I was your first in that position." She joked but she had tried to seem fully saddened by the idea with a pout of her lip. "Looks like I'll just have to try a few different positions that you haven't seen, tried, nor heard of."

"Oh, now I am intrigued." Anders teased back and lightly rubbed his nose against her own briefly. His eyes glanced up on the remembered question Leliana gave him and he started to roll back over in thought. "I don't know what really brought that on exactly… I guess it was just the rush of having so many people in the Keep… Well, that and Jowan's talk, actually."

He reached up and rubbed his eyes from the memories of the Circle Tower and attempted to block them out. Still the faces of everyone he knew close from there, began to flash back into his mind. Of course having Jowan around had proven to be a trusted ally to his cause, but Anders didn't want to truly relive every single thing that happened to him or the people he knew though. Some of them were caused by own hands, after all.

"You know… Maybe having Jowan close by all the time may not be such a good idea." He grumbled to himself and continued to rub sleep from his eyes.

At that given moment, the door opened and the sound of footsteps started to approach. Anders had groaned some, reaching over for the blankets next to Leliana's side and in a sweeping motion, pulled them across herself as well as his own. Though the person at the door way was tripping and soon falling. A rain of cheese cubes was suddenly sprung into the air and scattered to decorate Anders and Leliana with. Jowan's voice had groaned from the floor for a few moments until the motioning of one of his hands rose up above his head.

"I'm okay!" Jowan called and then gave a mild hiccup.

"You see what I mean?" Anders mentioned in his light half-truth from before and snuggled against Leliana's frame from under the covers. He had almost seemed reluctant to have gotten back out of bed; even for the party in front of them.

Leliana had blinked some and began to part her lips as if she was going to ask why he believed having Jowan close by was a bad idea. That her hand even made an attempt to reach to his chest, but it stopped there once she heard the opening of the door fill the room. Thankfully Anders was quick enough to grab the blankets so all she had to do was hold them more tightly against her chest. A part of her was getting use to this people walking in on them and she knew they would have to get more use to it or get locks for the doors once Baelfire had started walking and opening doors. Which had even brought her to think about the little man, but from Jowan's trip and fall quickly fogged her mind as she was drawn away from the thought of her and Anders son momentarily.

"Jowan?" She called out suspiciously as she looked down to the cubes of cheese and had even grasped a piece and slipped one into her mouth. "Thanks for the rain of food." She said cheerfully as she picked up another piece, fidgeting it between her fingers as she listened to Anders and his mentioning of Jowan. She couldn't help but chuckle as she slipped that single piece of cheese in his mouth while his lips were still parted so at least he could be silenced before he said anything more. "Anders, be nice… He's just a little tipsy like the rest of us… Well okay maybe a bit more… But still. You have to admit he is fun to be around in such times, right?"

Looking back to Jowan, Leliana had smiled briefly as she wondered if she should somehow help him or if she should just leave him. Not knowing what to do, Leliana figured to find out why the man was even here. That she had finally propped herself up by her arm to get a better look at him as she spoke. "What are you doing in here Jowan… Is the party already over?" She asked a bit curiously before glancing over to Anders then back again to Jowan. "We haven't been gone that long have we?"

"The guardz thought to check (hic) on you…" Jowan answered upon sitting up on the floor. He grabbed the silver tray and was slowly starting to use it as his leverage upon standing up.

Anders had to choke down the cubed cheese that was being given to him after hearing the slight question Leliana had started to ask. He didn't think he was being timed when it came to his love-making though he wouldn't have surprisingly put any of it past her to have had some sort of standard to go by either. Anders rolled more to his side while making sure that Leliana remained covered.

"It's quite possible. There's no telling how long we had been busy." Anders quickly tossed the question up into the air with a shrug and blasphemous suggestion.

Jowan crawled up to the foot of the bed and started to roll onto the mattress. "Oh! Won't you (hic) tell me the one about the three little piggies—(hic)!"

Reaching up to lightly pinch the bridge of his nose, Anders started to move upon sitting up. "Jowan… You do realize that you're a grown man…and in the Queen's bedchamber…?"

"I am?" Jowan blinked and opened his drunken eyes, looking up at them from his curled position. "Did I (hic) get lucky?"

Anders gave the man a sour look and reached his foot up to kick Jowan back off. "No, and don't you ever think about it either."

After Anders had turned away from Leliana, she took the space that accumulated between them to scoot over cautiously as her arm draped from behind him just so the covers around her wouldn't slid in such a way to revel herself to the unexpected visitor. Though it seemed like this was the least of her concern as a somewhat of a laughter slipped past her lips while her chin propped against Anders shoulder to examine where Jowan would go next. "Oh Anders, you know I wasn't serious." She teased with a little nudge to the man with her chin after his expression of it being no wonder how long they had been alone and busy. "It is a bit frustrating though with it seeming to become a ritual with people barging in though." She admitted with a sigh.

Once Leliana's eyes averted to the other part of the room she felt Anders forceful kick next in the direction which Jowan was. This brought the red headed rouge to tilt her head some and glace over to the end of the bed where the second mage had crawled onto the bed. Though her expression was more carefree than Anders as an amused smile and chuckle escaped her lips.

"Anderssss. Be nice. He's drunk it's not like he's going to do anything… I think." She whispered as her hand slithered down behind Anders and in between him and her as she gave a little pinch to Anders rear for a warning to be more polite. After all everyone was a bit crazy when they drank a few tankards. "Then again he was brave enough to get involved with a Chantry woman in the Circle… So there's no tell when it comes to a man's mind…" She joked in a sarcastic tone.

Of course from feeling his hind side touched, let alone pinched, the mage had jumped a little from his place in bed. He couldn't help the slight surprised grin on his face nor the mild chuckle. Despite of having a strange visitor in the same bed with them at the time, Anders was still somewhat content. His grin shifted mildly more into a pout as he lifted back his threatening leg and curled his closer inward. It wasn't so much as a territorial issue anymore in comparison to finding a comfortable position to remain laying down. Getting up from the warm bed seemed like an unwanted fate for him.

"Madam! I'm a perfect (hic) gentleman…" Jowan slurred with a slight chuckle still in tact. He scooted towards the edge of the bed after a while and glanced down at the floor as if to have been in thought still. "I think…"

From this Anders actually had to laugh, and he finally moved towards sitting up from the bed. He turned his attention towards checking the buttons on his uniform and making certain that he was still presentable in his clothes.

"Well, if you have to think about it, then there's trouble, isn't there?" He questioned lightly in a tease and then looked back towards Leliana. "I think I'd better help him out of the room and get back to mingling before odd rumors start to spread."

He then leaned more towards her and lightly kissed her forehead before stepping out of the bed. He rolled back the covers to keep Leliana safely tucked underneath Anders then proceeded to pour Jowan off from the bed, only to prop one of his arms over his shoulders so that he could carefully walk him out of the room.

After seeing Anders reaction to her little "pinch" she had given him she had innocently chuckled as her hand gave a little pat to the area before pulling back to her side where it laid. Her attention went next to Jowan once his slurred speech picked up once more, in which brought the rouge to perk a curious brow and a sigh the expelled from her lips. "Isn't that what every man says before they make their killer move?" She teased lightly as she looked to Anders next in her question and even gave him an acted suspicious look.

Once she felt Anders moves to get up from the bed a slight whiney groan passed by her lips as she tried her best with one arm still secured around her as her other had tried to reach out for the retreating man. But even though her loosened grip around his waist wasn't enough to hold him in place, Leliana dropped her arm back down to the bed as her lush green eyes followed him while her lower lip pouted out in a small defeat.

"I guess your right…" She muttered back as her eyes rolled some. But upon feeling the lips of Anders warm lips press against her brow had momentarily brought a smile to brighten her features. "Here I was getting comfy and everything too…" She added as she quickly flopped down to the mattress with the cover still held tightly to her chest. After opening her eyes again from the impact, she shifted her head some to the side and glanced back to the two men and gave a brief smile to Anders. "While you're out there, you should probably check on our son… I'm sure he's fine… But I still did just leave him with the woman..."

"I'll keep an eye out for him." He reassured more with a grin.

He took Jowan back to the party where he was able to eventually place him more comfortably in a char to relax for the night. Jowan slumped easily into the chair and started to sleep. Anders then turned to find his son, still nestled among a group of servant maidens. He was barely even able to speak words and he was already charming the ladies. Anders couldn't help but to have shake his head a little and moved to take his son back with him.

When he started to leave, one of the members of the ball had taken an initial step towards him. He swirled the wine in his glass before taking a sip. "Quite the extravagant move, Serah. Well planned too, I must say."

Anders shifted his son into his shoulders, at the moment still speaking to his youth. "You've been really chatting them up haven't you-?"

The mage had to turn and look to the person who was speaking to him. "I'm sorry…?"

"Putting a Seeker on the throne here. That was probably the best move you could have done." The guest continued to speak in praise.

"Oh…" Anders mentioned and then glanced down.

He hadn't really even thought about it from any political point of view, actually. Leliana just happened to have been his woman, regardless of what she was or continued to have been to the people around her. Not that it was any obstacle made against him either; however, since he had every plans to have married her later. He wanted it publicly accepted though; and that was what would have made it more important than anything.

"It would be better if you took her to the funeral of the Arch Mage." He continued to press.

Anders raised a slight eyebrow in question. "The Arch Mage?...Wait… Wasn't that a woman named Wynne?"

Anders had known of Wynne. He met her on a brief occasion long ago when he was in Amaranthine with Aragorn. She had warned about the Libertarian's mage faction willing to pull back in numbers to join the Equitarians. Mage Politics. Anders never really involved himself directly, but he was aware of the leaders and of who was what.

After the mage had finally been able to talk Anders into going to the funeral, Anders had to think of a way to talk to Leliana about it. She needed to have known, and even though he wasn't certain if she was aware of who Wynne was, she would have had to understand his reasoning for having to go.

Anders walked back into the room and looked towards Leliana. He patted his son's head a little and smiled some while carrying him towards her. "Here he is, stealing the hearts of every woman in the other room."